The Broken Alpha
by SoundShield11
Summary: Jake is a lone wolf on a mission. After an encounter with a vampire leads to tragedy, he goes on the hunt to track her down. What will happen when he gets to La Push, especially once a local wolf imprints on him? Jake X Seth, AU/AH. Rated M for adult situations and possible events in later chapters. Also, this is a warning for M-Preg.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Well everyone, the idea for another chapter fic has been in my head for a bit, so I decided to finally go after a Jake/Seth story. I had the concept for one drawn up before I wrote FML, but I ultimately scrapped it. The history is a bit changed, and I should warn that it is a M/M pairing. I hope that this proves to be worth reading, and as always, I look forward to hearing your opinions on it, if you think it should be continued._

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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_**Prologue**_

**Jake's POV**

I buried my muzzle into the throat of the latest bloodsucker I had come across, cleanly removing its head. The scream that came out as I ended its "life" was satisfying, but I still hadn't found the one I was looking for. I guess I should probably explain myself…

* * *

My name is Jacob Black, and I'm a werewolf. My father, Billy, had told me stories growing up of packs of wolves that worked to protect tribes from something called Cold Ones. At the time, it all seemed ridiculous. Then one night, everything changed.

My parents and I had lived in a small coastal town in Massachusetts all of my life. I knew that they were from somewhere out west, but they had wanted a new life once they found out that my mom was pregnant with me. They moved to the far side of the country, living on a small plot of land in the middle of a peaceful area. It was simple, but I couldn't complain. All of our needs were met and life wasn't bad at all.

We had been driving home after a night at the movies right after I had turned 16. My parents sat in the front seat, chatting as my dad drove us back. Suddenly we saw a woman standing in the middle of the road, making no attempt to get out of the path of our car. Dad slammed on the brakes, but as we neared the woman, she pushed our car aside, sending us head on into a nearby tree.

The sound of breaking glass and crunching metal filled my head. I could smell the smoke pouring from the engine, and could only hope that things wouldn't catch on fire. I was sluggish, feeling the blood running down my forehead. I stumbled out of the car and attempted to help my parents, but with one look I knew that it was already too late. They were gone.

"It looks like I found my dinner" a cold voice stated from behind me. I turned around to see a pale figure with bright red hair and eyes to match. In an instant she was right beside me, holding me in her grasp.

"What are you?" I stammered out, already feeling something churning in my stomach. My parents were probably dead and I was likely going to be joining them soon, all because of this woman in front of me.

"Me? I think your people call us vampires. All you really need to know is that you're going to be a tasty little snack." She chuckled, exposing my neck as she began to lower her head.

I suddenly began to convulse wildly, the churning in my stomach becoming a constant burn. She let go of me quickly and began to back away as if my skin had burned her. I lost my balance, falling to the ground. Before I hit, however, there were two new legs in front of me. I looked down to see fur and paws, as well as the rest of a wolf's body. Dad's stories flooded into my mind and I finally understood just how real they were.

There was dead silence as I stared at the creature before me. She wasn't breathing, but more importantly, neither was anyone else. I could hear no heartbeats or breaths from my parents and it served to confirm what I had already suspected: my family was gone.

With that rage, I launched myself at the vampire. She easily avoided me, landing a swift kick to my side and sending me barreling through a couple of trees into the forest.

"Oh come on mutt, you think I haven't dealt with your kind before? A pup like you doesn't stand a chance. You're not even worth my time and you certainly won't be worth eating now." She sneered. Instead of fighting, she took off through the woods.

Despite the fact that I knew she could probably beat me, I ran after her. I needed to avenge my parents. She had taken them away from me, and for that, she needed to die.

We raced through the forest, my large form hitting branches constantly. Her nimble body was slipping through everything and she would occasionally laugh as I would run into something in the path she was cutting through the forest. I pushed myself harder, but no matter how much faster I tried to run, she could always match my pace.

Suddenly we came to a clearing with the ocean behind her. She stood at the edge of the cliff, a smirk on her face.

"This is where I'll take my leave. It's been fun pooch. Maybe I'll see you around sometime." She called over her shoulder as she dived into the water.

I ran to the edge, seeing the ridiculous drop and knowing that I had no chance of surviving if I followed. She didn't need to breathe and there was no shore in sight. There was nothing I could do.

After that, I returned home. I steeled myself for what was to come. The police showed up and confirmed the news that both of my parents had been killed. I took the news in, only breaking down when no one was around. Even though I had had my suspicions, it was so much more real to hear them say it aloud. They asked me if I had any other family, but I shook my head. They allowed me to stay by myself after I declined them putting me with an officer or someone else. I didn't need their pity and I was old enough to look after myself.

Ultimately I made it through the funeral and the lawyer asked me what I wanted to do. I moved some major things to storage, especially items that I knew my parents had cared about a lot. After that, we decided to liquidate everything else and put it into an account. I didn't really care about the money, but I wasn't going to stay here so a house and belongings weren't going to do me any good.

After that, I took off, telling the lawyer that I'd be in contact if I needed to get access to anything. Nobody questioned the fact that I wanted to leave the area after everything that had happened. They were going to take care of all of the logistics, using money from the fund to cover any costs that they incurred, leaving me to begin my mission. I was going to track down that bloodsucker.

That was the last day that I interacted with people. Since then, I've lived in the woods, tracking down whatever scents I could find. It was hard at first, not seeing other people or having anyone to talk to. The most common interaction was with a farmer as I raided his vegetables. What can I say, raw meat needed some kind of supplement.

Otherwise, the only things that I interacted with were the leeches I'd encounter. At first I had barely been able to take them down. Several broken bones had taught me that I could heal pretty quickly, but I always managed to survive. When I didn't have a trail, I wandered aimlessly, not really caring where I was. I knew that the odds of finding the one vampire I was looking for were slim, but I couldn't give up.

As time went by, my body began to fully develop. I truly was a huge wolf, towering over the deer that I often used for nourishment. The russet color of my wolf wasn't that far different from my skin tone. These changes came in handy when I was fighting. It wasn't nearly as difficult taking down a lone vampire anymore. I rarely came across them as more than just rogues, but I'd learned how to fight more than one at a time. Until I found the redhead, I was going to be their kind's worst nightmare.

I was using her as my constant motivation. The pain from losing my parents had slowly sunk in. It wasn't a constant burning that left me on the verge of tears anymore, but that had definitely been the case for months. I could get by now, only feeling the constant ache at this point. It only served to fuel my rage, pushing me to find her and make her pay for ruining my life. If I had to kill every vampire on the planet to get to her, I'd do it.

I rarely knew where exactly I was. As the months went by, I found myself wandering across the country. Occasionally I'd drift across into Canada for a while, but I never ventured too far south. The temperatures down there were miserable for me, as I constantly felt hot, even in the snow. The northern states were a great place to start, but if I ever caught wind that she might be in a warmer region, I wouldn't hesitate to venture down there. Comfort meant nothing when it came to this.

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And so you have it. I'm a giant wolf that preys on vampires, truly serving out the purpose that we were apparently designed for. I don't have any friends, any family, or any connections, but I don't need any of that. I have a purpose, and that is enough. The creature that I had just killed would never be able to harm another innocent being. That was all I could satisfy myself with until I found the vampire responsible for my transformation.

I paced out of the woods, taking in my surroundings. This area had an odd scent to it that I couldn't place. I heard the crashing of waves, however, and I couldn't help but to go take a look. Coming into a clearing, I found a cliff overlooking the ocean. I felt my temper flare as I remembered the similar situation that had allowed the redhead to get away, but I still had to respect the beauty of the moon reflecting over the water. There was something peaceful here.

I trotted back into the woods, deciding to take to hunting for the night. I picked up the scent of a wild animal and began to follow it. My search led me near a road and once I finally pinned down a small doe and dug in, I noticed a sign that finally gave me an idea of where I was.

"Welcome to La Push Reservation" it read. Somehow that name seemed familiar and I felt drawn to check the place out. Finishing my meal, I walked by the sign and cautiously approached the reservation. For the first time in a long time, I felt drawn to be in one place. I just needed to figure out what was calling me to be here…

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_AN: So, that's the prologue. What do you think, should it be continued from here?_

_If you think it should, I should warn you that the updates for this one might be spread out a bit (and may not be the longest I've ever written). I can't guarantee regular posts, as I don't know how chaotic real life will be. That warning said, what do you think? I hope you'll offer your feedback, as it really is a great help in figuring out what to do._

_Also, as of now, I can't guarantee what I'll be doing as far as lemons go. It's a decision that I'll have to make later on._


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the introduction to this story. Looks like I'm going to be continuing on with this fic hehe. I hope everyone enjoys it and as always, I appreciate any feedback that you wish to give. Great to see some new reviewers and I'm forever grateful for those that have followed me from a previous story. My goal is to post a new chapter every Friday, but we'll see how well that goes. Without further ado, let's get this rolling._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

I crept onto the reservation, grateful for the veil that the darkness provided. The fact that the forest seemed to run through the entire area was a bonus as well. This was the perfect place to lurk around as a wolf without the risk of getting caught. On the flip side, it also would be an easy place for a vampire to find unsuspecting victims. As horrible as it was, that thought gave me hope that maybe there was a chance that I'd find the creature I was after.

I wasn't sure how late it was at this point, but it hadn't been dark for too long and as I saw the lights on in many of the houses, I knew that people were still awake. I could see parents calling their kids back into the homes, trying to get the family settled for the evening. It was picturesque and to be honest, it bothered me. I was naive enough to believe that they didn't have their problems, but their lives just seemed so pleasant.

The reservation seemed small and quaint. The houses were decently spread out, but they were far from large. I'm guessing that most people maintained relatively small families and the cars that I could see were modest at best. It was everything I expected, as I didn't think of tribes as wealthy groups, at least once you got away from the casinos. I hadn't been around all that many reservations, despite knowing that my parents had been from one. They had never really pushed me and I had never questioned it. Dad had told the legends and that seemed to be enough of a connection for him. Now that I knew they were true, that made a lot more sense.

As I stalked the surrounding area, a beautiful aroma filled my nostrils. It was a smell that I had always been weak to and I followed it through the woods without hesitation, eventually being led to a pile of pies sitting on a picnic table. I had never known a wolf's mouth to water, but there was nothing that was going to keep me from those delicious smelling desserts.

The nearest house was actually a decent amount larger than any of the others. It was two stories, and the nearest wall was quite long. Whoever lived here was important. I could hear rummaging going on inside of the building, but I had confidence that I was fast and stealthy enough to get what I wanted.

I phased out, finding it odd to be a human once again. I couldn't actually remember the last time I had bothered to do anything besides hunt for food. There was no doubt in my mind that this would be like heaven after months of eating deer, rabbits, and whatever other game I tracked down. I had gotten into some fights with other predators over meals, but my size pretty much made me the ultimate hunter. Fighting animals was much easier than going up against someone with a gun.

I made it to the table, grabbing a pair of pies before fleeing the scene. They still had a few of them there, so it's not like they'd be missing too much. I made it to the tree line before hearing someone yelling out in anger. "Where are the other pies! I just put the rest of them out here!" the voice had exclaimed in what sounded like a growl. I chuckled to myself as I continued into the woods, putting some distance between me and the house. People typically had enough sense to stay out of the deep woods, but I knew there was nothing for me to be afraid of. The perfect getaway location...

After putting enough space between me and anyone who might actually try and follow the lingering scent of the the pies, I sat down on a fallen log in a small cleared out area. I didn't have the luxury of a fork, but I had no real need to be civil. Digging my face into the pan, I savored the warmth and flavor that was filling my mouth. Whoever this belonged to had definitely made it from scratch. It was possibly the best I had ever had, the crust practically melting and mixing amazingly with the fruit filling. Then again, my view might have been tainted, as it'd been forever since I had last had a real meal.

I began to think back to what it was like before _that_ night. Mom had always been the one to cook, always having something ready for when dad got home from work and I from school. How she balanced that with a full time job was beyond me, but she had been an amazing woman. She had always been the one to comfort me when I was scared or upset and would always let me off easy whenever I had done something wrong. She was everything I could ever ask of from a mother.

I fought back tears as I recalled all of the times she had taken care of me. Whenever I had a fever, she'd be there with a cold towel to help keep my temperature down. If I had been in a nightmare, she'd gently wake me and then help me get back to sleep. She took everything calmly and loved me unconditionally. I felt the added guilt of knowing that how often I'd tried to suppress these types of memories over the past year.

Of course, all of this talk about my mother is not an attempt to slight my dad in any way. He was strict at times, but also knew how to relax. He taught me important life lessons on responsibility, work ethic, and respect. Even though he always had a lesson when I did something wrong, he knew when to just enjoy time together when we could. We had always taken a vacation during the summer, even if it was just to go out camping for a week. We had never needed all of the crazy technologies that people entertained themselves with. It wasn't rare for us to just take off into the woods for a weekend just to "rough it" as he liked to put it. I chuckled a little bit when I thought of an episode with poison ivy. That mistake had taught me not to go as far as to completely rely on nature and we'll just say that I learned what leaves were what. My father had been far from helpful there, laughing continuously at my discomfort. Glad at least mom had felt the need to provide me with the supplies to help me through the week of hell that followed…

These were the memories I would always cherish. Ok, maybe not the last one, but having them there for me, no matter what. It was perfect…until _she_ decided to ruin everything.

I was just finishing the second pie when I heard the snap of a twig behind me. It was only a moment before I could hear someone launch themselves at me, but I was well prepared. As soon as my attacker was close enough, I grabbed his arm and slung him over me, causing him to land on the ground with a thud.

"You dare steal from us!" the crazed boy snarled at me, scrambling up for another round. I took him in, recognizing that he was well-built and clad only in a pair of cutoff jeans. The fact that he had tracked me this far into the woods gave me my first clue that I might need to be a little bit careful here, but I still felt that I could take him easily enough.

As he launched himself again, I dodged him and began to parry his blows as he tried to overpower me. I wasn't used to being in this form, but I was holding my own. I finally landed a swift kick that caught him in the side, sending him sliding across the ground. When he got up, he was shaking violently and I was a little bit more than surprised when he exploded into a giant wolf. My eyes probably indicated that I was afraid, but I was really just startled. I guess I wasn't the only one after all.

He was treating me like prey and I couldn't help but be amused. I knew that I'd be able to phase before he got near me, but I wanted him to think he had the upper hand. He was about to try and use his size advantage when a voice sounded through the woods.

"Stop, Paul!" the command resonated across the area as a large man entered my small clearing. He wasn't quite as big as me, but he was an impressive figure. I didn't even have to think about whether or not he was the leader as a group formed at his side. I got a quick count and realized that there were 9 of them standing there, including the one I had already been fighting with. I scrolled over their faces, assessing which would be the biggest threats. When I locked eyes with one of the smaller ones, he seemed to go into a bit of a trance. I didn't really understand why I felt compelled to look at him, to go to him even, but there was something about the boy that was pulling at me.

"Explain yourself" the man commanded, but it had no effect on me. I wasn't intimidated by him, even if he had a numbers advantage.

"I said, explain yourself. People aren't normally stupid enough to steal on this reservation. Especially not from us." He repeated threateningly, only to be stopped as he heard a growl erupt from the one that I had been staring at before. Everyone turned to look at him in surprise, giving me the perfect chance to make my exit. Even if I preferred standing up for myself, I knew that there was no point in trying to take on 9 of them, especially if they were all wolves. I still had a task to complete.

As I turned around and bolted into the forest, phasing as soon as I was out of sight, I heard a startled cry come from a feminine voice. "Seth, what's wrong? Are you all right?" she screamed out. I turned my head for a moment to see the boy lying on the ground, but then I took off. I had to get away from these wolves. If they had a full pack, there was no need for me to be here. The redhead wasn't stupid enough to come to an area like this.

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The next few days passed without incident, but I felt a strange yearning deep inside that I couldn't explain. I got out of the woods that surrounded their reservation, but I couldn't bring myself to leave the area. I stayed out of the boundary that had their scent, however, finally recognizing it as marking their territory. Having never encountered shifters before had left me unfamiliar with that smell, but I'd never make that mistake again.

It was probably three or four days after the encounter in the forest that I felt a presence near me. As I prepared myself to either fight or run – depending on how many there were – a lone grey wolf stepped out, exposing its neck as a sign of submission. I didn't know what to think of it, but I didn't feel the need to run. My wolf liked when others admitted that they weren't as strong as he was.

I watched as the wolf turned back into human, becoming the girl I had seen standing over the small boy before. Even though I had never seen any other shifters, I still had expected the ability to only be in males. She pulled on clothes that had been tied to her leg. I had to admit that that was a nifty trick. Maybe that'd come in handy someday.

"Please phase back for a minute. This isn't a trick. I just want to talk to you. Please…" she begged, showing no signs of aggression. I was weary, but I couldn't sense any other wolves. If this was a trap, she was good at disguising it, but I was curious as to what she wanted.

I phased back, still keeping my distance. "What do you want and how did you know that it was me?" I asked firmly, marveling at what my voice sounded like. It had been a long time since I had needed to form words and hearing something that wasn't in my head was unusual to me.

"Well, we could smell the fact that you were a shifter and there aren't that many giant wolves running around. But that's not really important. I came to find you because I need your help. It's my brother, Seth. He imprinted on you in the forest and collapsed when you vanished like that. We think that he's dying without you being there. He's barely been able to move since we got him home. I need you to come back with me to our reservation." She said desperately.

"I don't understand, what's imprinting?" I asked. I had a suspicion that it was a shifter thing, but dad and I had never gone into things like that.

"It basically means he's found you to be his soul mate. His wolf has tied itself to yours and the distance from you is literally killing him. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I'm begging you to please come back. I can't lose my brother…" she whispered.

I was just about to answer her when I looked up and saw the red hair that had haunted my dreams. "I will kill you" I yelled at the leech, who simply smirked down at the girl and I. I shook violently, turning back into the form that had become more normal than my human self.

I knew that I needed to address the situation with the girl's brother, but I had finally found my target again. I don't know why she was here, but it was time for me to finish this. It was time for me to avenge my parents' deaths.

I pushed forward, chasing after her. I knew that she was leading me back into the wolves' territory, but I couldn't care about that right now. The girl hadn't followed me, but when I picked up the scent of another vampire, I knew that she had found something else to occupy herself with.

I chased the redhead deep into the woods, but when the rain began to pour, I lost my ability to track her by scent. I'd occasionally see a flash of red, but it became all too clear that she was toying with me. Even after all of my development, she was still able to get the advantage on me.

Lightning lit up the woods on occasion, but suddenly I saw something that made me stop chasing the leech. Stumbling towards me was the boy that had apparently bound himself to me. He didn't know how much of a mistake that was. He looked awful though. In just a few days he looked a lot more frail, thinner, and had a tint that looked eerie in the lightning. Is this what had happened in just a few days? If so, what was going to happen to him when I left for good?

The sound of a laugh turned my attention back to the leech that I was after. Just as I was about to leap at her, lightning struck a nearby tree, setting it ablaze. I watched as a large portion of it fell, and as luck would have it, the boy ended up pinned underneath it. He yelped as the giant piece of wood landed on him, pinning him to the ground and knocking him unconscious.

I was struck with indecision. I watched as the leech took off. I needed to kill her. At the same time, the young wolf was trapped, and would likely die from the flames and smoke that were beginning to spread. I had always had my mission to drive me, but for once I wasn't sure which direction to go. I just knew that I needed to make a decision immediately. I mean, if he was already dead, I wasn't doing anyone a favor by not pursuing her. But if he wasn't...could I live with myself knowing that I allowed someone to die in my quest for vengeance, especially since I was supposed to share some connection with him?

The question was a simple one: Should I go after her or try and help the boy?

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_AN: Well, there you have it, the first update to TBA. Hopefully you found it satisfying. I recognize that it's a bit short, but unfortunately I think that'll be common for this story. As always, I hope that you'll share any feedback you have on the story. Reviews, follows, and favorites really do mean a lot. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Thank you all for your continued support of this story. Your reviews, alerts, and favorites mean a lot to me. Sorry for being cruel and leaving it at a bit of a precarious situation last chapter hehe. Hope that you enjoy the update!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

My eyes flicked between the direction that the redhead had fled in and the boy that was pinned under the tree. The fire was rapidly spreading, only being slightly hindered by the rain that was still pouring down. Every moment I wasted meant that I was closer to failing no matter which option I chose.

I thought about my parents. I had loved them more than I think can be described. Just thinking about _her_ taking them from me caused a flood of painful emotions. Still, at the same time, I know what they would want me to do. They'd be disappointed in me if I let anything happen to the boy, especially if I was telling myself that I was acting in their name. They had raised me to care about life more than that.

Without further hesitation, I ran to the boy. The fire had spread to the log on top of him and the thick gray smoke was causing me to choke. I quickly surveyed the situation and realized that with the way the wood was laying, I wouldn't be able to deal with it in this form. Rolling it would do nothing but crush the boy even more. I phased back to human, wrapping my arms around the fiery embers. The pain was tremendous, but I was able to lift it off of him and get it out of the way without causing him any more damage. I quickly bundled his body up into my arms, getting him as far away from the danger as possible.

As we walked, the wolf in my arms began to nuzzle his head into my chest. He was clearly still out of it, but his actions seemed soothing to me. I don't know why, but I was drawn to his affection. I carried him through the woods, not sure how to feel about that. I mean, I had never really thought of relationships. I had had girlfriends growing up, but we had never really gotten anywhere. By the time I was a lot more interested in pushing things forward, I cut myself off from humanity.

I finally reached the edge of the forest, finding myself once again at the large house. I had a feeling that it belonged to the leader that I had encountered in the woods, but if nothing else, it was somehow tied to their pack. This seemed like as good of a place as any to drop off the boy in my arms.

I got to the door, kicking it a few times to try and alert someone inside. The boy was shivering and he obviously needed to get somewhere warm. His skin felt cold and clammy, which was something that seemed concerning. I only had my own experiences to base things off of, but I knew that my temperature was typically a lot hotter than a normal human's. If that was the standard, then the wolf was really in bad shape.

After a few moments, my theory was proven correct when the same large man from the woods opened the door, looking somewhat groggy. His eyes opened in surprise as he realized who had woken him from his slumber, but he quickly noticed the state of the wolf I was holding. He ushered us inside while calling out to someone else and it wasn't long before we were joined by a beautiful woman. The first thing that caught my eye was that she had 3 claw marks going down her face, but once I got over that it was clear that she still held a lot of beauty.

We immediately went to work on warming up the pup. The man lit a fire and the woman grabbed blankets. I tried to step away from the situation, but the boy grabbed me by my injured arm, causing me to hiss out in pain. He relaxed his grip, but still wouldn't let me out of his grasp. For some reason I conceded to it, only freeing myself once the woman stripped him out of his soaked and damaged clothing before covering him in blankets.

After that, the two turned their attention to me. I was hesitant to accept their help, but they insisted on at least bandaging my arm while it healed. The woman chattered a bit as she put an ointment over my skin before wrapping it tightly in a white bandage. She introduced herself as Emily and the man as Sam. She told me that the boy's name was Seth, which I also remembered from the female shifter's pleas when she'd found me earlier.

With that taken care of, Sam handed me a pair of sweats from his room. I awkwardly pulled them on as I watched his eyes rake over my body. It had been a long time since I had actually put on clothes, but I felt exposed in front of him. I knew that it wasn't my figure that he was looking at, as the guy was obviously in love with Emily, but that didn't mean that there wasn't something else about me that caught his attention.

Over the past year, I had gotten into numerous fights with various leeches I'd come across. As you may have guessed, I had survived all of the encounters, but that didn't mean that I had come out unscathed, even with the advanced healing that I'd quickly discovered. Many of them had left a reminder of some form on my body, some worse than others. There was a myriad of scars, ranging from 3 inch cuts to a mark that stretched the entirety of my right leg. That one had been caused by a leech digging his thumb into me as he slid down towards the water after we had both been knocked over the edge of a cliff. I had been able to grasp onto some rocks, but his momentum had carried him down, despite his attempt to latch onto me. I doubted that the fall to the rocks or the water had killed him, but if he had survived, he stayed well clear of me. I was grateful for that, as I had walked with a really bad limp for a week after that and probably wouldn't have been able to hold my own in another fight.

In addition to all of the cuts, there was a bite mark that was perfectly clear on my abdomen. I had been lucky to free myself before the leech had been able to inject enough venom to kill me, but it had been close. I had gotten extremely sick as my immune system fought it off and the mark served as a reminder that there were still things that my body wasn't fully capable of defending itself from.

I think that all of these reminders were part of why I avoided my human form as much as I did. Being scanned by the man in front of me left me feeling extremely self-conscious. His opinions shouldn't matter to me, but I wasn't used to this much scrutiny. Emily seemed to catch on to my tension, whispering something to Sam that caused him to look away quickly, focusing on the slumbering wolf under the covers as Emily left the room, presumably returning to bed.

We sat in silence and I watched as Seth shifted slightly. Finally Sam decided to open up the conversation.

"What will you do now?" he inquired, not taking his eyes off of his pack mate. No need to dance around it. That was the important question.

"I really don't know." I responded hesitantly. What was I going to do? I couldn't stay here, especially knowing that I could try and follow the redhead's trail. Sure the rain was heavy, but she had been here. I knew I could pick her up again. At the same time, my mind kept drifting back to Seth. The girl I had met earlier seemed worried that the boy would die without being with me. If that was the case, how could I just up and move on? That would have made my decision to save him completely pointless.

"Leah – the female in my pack – called me earlier and said that she had taken out a newborn after she had tracked you down. Apparently you had a run-in with Victoria. No chance you actually got her, is there?" Sam asked.

"Who's Victoria?" I asked. Was it possible that they actually knew the one that I had been after?

"She's a really smart vampire. The redhead has been toying with my pack recently, especially after we took down one of her coven. We've been trying to get her for a while. We're all tired of chasing her, but some of us have more…personal reasons to want rid of her." He mumbled, sympathetically resting a hand on the blanket pile.

"Victoria…so she has a name. I never really wanted to figure it out, but it feels odd actually being able to call her something…" I replied, thinking back to the cross-country chase she had led me on.

"Wait, do you know her?" he asked, looking up at me for the first time in a while.

"Yeah…I'll just say that we have history." I said quietly.

"Well, she's probably going to be around for a while unless we can actually get a hold of her. She's made it her mission to kill a local girl so we've been doing what we can to keep her safe. Something about the leech that the girl was dating having killed her mate. Whether you wish to help or would prefer not to get involved, I'd be happy to let you stay here. Especially…well, I really don't want to see the pup suffer." He said, trailing off at the end. I could tell that he cared about the boy. I wasn't sure if it was just how he felt about everyone in the pack, but his worry was obvious.

"I…I'll think about it. What can you tell me about this imprinting thing anyway? I don't really know all that much. I learned legends and whatnot, but I don't really understand all of the fine details of this. From what I can tell, you seem to have this…lifestyle pretty much figured out." I responded, hoping to get a feel for what I had gotten myself into.

"I've definitely had enough time and experiences, that's for sure. I phased for the first time about 2 years ago, the first of the pack. Pretty much guaranteed that I'd be the Alpha and so I had to help as each new member joined up. I know what it's like to be alone in it though." He said sympathetically. As if he could really know what I went through.

"As for imprinting…" he continued. "Imprinting is all about finding the person meant to help you. Whether it's to make you stronger, to pass genes on, or whatever other theories may exist, it's the person you're supposed to be with. The imprinter does whatever they can to make their imprint happy. They'll fulfill whatever role is expected of them. I imprinted on Emily and we're in love, despite a bit of a tumultuous beginning. One of my pack mates imprinted on a child, but assumes the role of a brother & protector. This also isn't the first time I've seen an imprint between two males. The two youngest in my pack are imprinted on each other. They were afraid that we'd freak out, but we're a pretty tolerant group around here. I think they're together, but until they want to announce it, nobody pressures them on it. I can't say what it is that you're going to ask for from Seth, but I do hope you won't just leave him. A wolf can die from their imprint's rejection or from just being apart from them. Even offering them some kind of long-distance friendship would be better than just up and leaving..." he concluded. Sam's warnings showed that he was clearly expecting me to bolt at the first opportunity that presented itself.

I took all of this in with a nod, thinking about all that he had said. Basically the poor wolf was completely tied to me by a force he couldn't control. I hated it for him, but there wasn't anything that could be done. I would just have to figure out what it was that we would share.

"Now, if it's all right with you, I think we could all use some sleep. There's a guest bathroom and bedroom upstairs if you want to shower up and get some rest. I'd love to have you stay for as long as you're comfortable." He said with a yawn, standing up and stretching.

"Sure thing. Thanks Sam." I responded, heading towards the stairs. I could hear the steady breathing and heartbeat of the young wolf under the covers. He was finally resting.

"By the way, what's your name?" he asked as neared his bedroom door.

"Jacob Black. But call me Jake." I responded over my shoulder as I headed up the stairs. I thought I saw him tense up a little bit, but he seemed to shrug it off quickly. My mind was probably just playing tricks on me.

"Well Jake, thanks for saving Seth. I hope you'll stick around for a while." He said, earning a nod in response. I honestly wasn't sure what I was going to do, but I was appreciative of the welcome I had received.

Walking up the stairs, I headed straight for the shower. Stepping into the hot water was one of the best feelings I had experienced in recent months, even as I fought to remember to keep my arm out of the spray. I had managed to stay somewhat clean by going through rivers on occasion, but this was heavenly. My tense muscles and all of the aches that I'd been dealing with were at least subsiding a little bit under the massaging water's touch. I hadn't realized just how I missed some of civilization's conveniences.

After staying in the shower for well longer than I expected, I found my way into the guest room. Lying down on the bed felt just as weird and pleasant as the shower. The ground wasn't nearly as welcoming as this mattress. I quickly felt myself drifting to sleep, my mind as relaxed as it had been in since I became a wolf.

That night I dreamt of something other than the redhead for the first time since our first encounter. Running through the woods, I could feel myself being flanked by another. I didn't fear, however, knowing that he would never hurt me. When he finally caught me in a clearing, the sandy wolf jokingly tackled me to the ground. We rolled a few times in the grass before he curled up and allowed me to wrap myself around him. This felt right. I couldn't explain it, but somehow I knew that the wolf had to be my imprinter and protecting him was just as important as his need to make me happy. We were perfect for each other…

I was awoken with a start by a voice calling up to me and suddenly smelled yet another mouth-watering scent. I pulled on a shirt from the dresser in the room, hoping that they wouldn't mind too much. Walking down the stairs, I was overwhelmed by the tantalizing aroma of cooking meats, eggs, and other breakfast things. These people really knew how to throw together some great food.

Emily ushered me into the dining area and I was surprised to see Seth sitting there. He still looked pretty rough, but his eyes lit up the moment he saw me. I made my way over to the chair across from him and sat down, watching him as intently as he watched me. He didn't look away from me the entire time, and I guess I couldn't blame him. I had disappeared as soon as it was possible the first time we had met after all.

After a couple of minutes of awkward silence, two giant plates were brought out to us. I dug in immediately, thanking Emily for her hospitality. After a moment, I noticed the boy was still watching me instead of eating.

"You look like you could use the meal. Don't worry, it's pretty tasty" I chuckled, hoping to break the tension that was forming between us. A small smile formed as he picked up his fork, quickly shoveling food into his mouth. Following suit, it wasn't long before both of our plates were empty.

"So…tell me about yourself" I said, trying to prevent another silence from forming.

"Well, what do you want to know?" he asked shyly.

"Whatever you want to tell me. I feel like if we're connected, we should probably get to know each other…" I responded, hoping to lighten the mood. He seemed to react to that pretty well, beginning to rattle off some things about his life. I could only hope that I wasn't setting him up for failure. I couldn't be sure how long I'd be hanging around, but I had to admit that there was something that gave me hope that maybe I wouldn't have to continue on as a loner. I really did enjoy getting to be around people again.

"Well, I grew up on the reservation. My best friend was always a guy named Jared. He stopped speaking to me for a while after joining up with Sam, but I eventually figured out it was because of the pack. I live with my mom and sister. I started shifting a couple months ago after…nevermind." He finished abruptly before looking down at his lap, slowly slipping into a look that I knew all too well. He was dwelling on something in the past and I wondered if it had anything to do with what Sam had said the night before. Still, if he wasn't comfortable sharing with me, I wasn't going to push him.

A moment later, Sam came walking into the room. I think he could sense the atmosphere and seemed to be holding back something as he came in.

"So, how are you two?" he asked lightly.

Seth still seemed lost in thought, but I nodded at the man. "Not bad. Thanks for the bed for the night." I responded, trying to be a gracious guest.

"It's yours as long as you want it. But…if you're going to stay around, I was wondering if you'd come somewhere with me tonight." He said, a small smile on his face.

"What do you need?" I asked, slightly perplexed. What could he want me for already?

"I've been talking to our elders. They want to have a bonfire, which is a big thing for us on the reservation. You game for some storytelling and food?" he smirked.

"If it's anything near as good as the meals I've had, you can count on it." I said, chuckling. These guys really were all about their food, but I couldn't help but to think that there was something more to this bonfire than he was letting on...

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_AN: So, what did you think? Glad that Jake actually made the decision to save Seth? Ok, so most of you called that, but I couldn't help it. It'd be pretty cruel for Jake to just leave him there. Hope you enjoyed it and I'd love to hear your opinions. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next update, which should be up next Friday!_


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: We'll consider this a bonus chapter. I recognize that not much has happened yet, and for that I apologize. I seem to enjoy a lot of introduction. So, not saying that a ton happens here either, but hopefully the action picks up shortly. Hope you enjoy, and as always, I appreciate all of the reviews, favorites, and alerts._

_Disclaimer: I own everything, with the exception of all of it._

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**Jake's POV**

Shortly after breakfast, I had an itch to get out of the house. I wasn't really used to being still for too long. As grateful as I was to have a roof over my head and cooked food to eat, I constantly felt the need to be alert. The sounds of the television, kitchen appliances, and other "normal" household devices kept me on edge.

"You want me to show you around, Jake?" Seth asked quietly, seeming to sense my unease. I immediately nodded, standing up to get out of the foreign environment as quickly as possible. A huge smile erupted across the boy's face as he grabbed me by my good arm and pulled me out the door, announcing our departure to Sam along the way.

I followed behind him after he released my arm, but he seemed to be a lot more chatty now. It amused me to listen to him openly talking about his life. I wanted to learn more about him. I know that I hadn't done this imprinting thing on him, but I couldn't deny that I felt a pull towards him that I'd never experienced before. Anything he said seemed far more important than simple idle chat.

"So you already know Sam. He's pretty much the boss around here. He's the pack Alpha, but he's pretty fair about things. I also heard that you met my sister, Leah. She used to date Sam, but that didn't work out very well. Sam imprinted on Emily, our cousin, which devastated Leah for a while. What Sam doesn't know is that Leah actually imprinted on a guy in our pack named Embry. I'm the only one that actually knows about them, but they've been together since it happened. They're surprisingly good at hiding their thoughts though." Seth explained. He continued to talk about the rest of the pack in detail. He went into the fact that Jared was with a girl named Kim and that the guy I had been fighting with came from a troubled background, and even though he was quick-tempered, he cared a lot about defending those that meant something to him. He also brought up some things that Sam had mentioned, like the guy named Quil who had imprinted on a toddler named Claire and that two of his younger friends, Collin & Brady, were together. He told me that they were actually seeing each other, but that they hadn't confided that with the pack yet. The boy definitely didn't seem to be holding anything back.

Before I knew it I felt the ground below me turn into sand. It was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a while, especially as a human. The overcast sky didn't really encourage a day at the beach, so the place was pretty much vacated. We continued to chat and he asked questions, inquiring about my life growing up. I told him about Massachusetts and how I enjoyed the beach, even if the weather was oftentimes too cold to actually enjoy the water. I felt at peace here, which surprised me. I wasn't sure if it was just the fact that I'd always loved the beach or if I just felt at ease around Seth, but even this short trip had me feeling almost _relaxed_.

We finally reached a very secluded area with several washed up logs. He sat down on one while I plopped down on the one beside him. We looked over the waves for a while, a more comfortable silence settling in this time.

"So, when did you first phase?" he asked innocently, but I could feel my entire mood shift. Apparently he noticed me tense up because he continued. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that. I was just curious." He said sadly, knowing that he had touched on something painful.

"No…it's all right. I guess you can say I had a bit of a tragic first phase. It was the night my parents died. A leech had been looking for an easy meal and it ultimately triggered my change, somewhere around a year ago." I explained, not wanting to bring up that I had almost gone after her instead of helping him. Somehow I knew he'd blame himself for it and I didn't want to upset the wolf. He just seemed like the kind of person that would take it as his fault. He nodded sadly before apologizing again and as much as I wanted to ask him about Victoria, I could tell that he was too bothered about it to want to go into it. He had said that it had only been a couple of months since he started shifting. Instead I decided to change the topic to lighter things.

"So, what do you guys do around here for fun?" I inquired, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Well, it depends on the weather. On calm days, we'll go cliff diving. When it's too rough, we normally just play video games. Not sure if you've noticed, but we're not exactly the richest place ever. We go into Forks and even as far as Port Angeles on occasion, but there's only so much we can afford. There's not really anything to make anyone want to stay around here" He stated, a sadness lingering in his voice at the end.

"Listen, I don't really care about the money aspect. You don't have to worry about me leaving because I got bored here." I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. I already felt the need to protect the young boy before me. This imprinting was strong stuff, even if I hadn't actually been the one to do it. Still, it was nice. Caring about Seth made me realize that I might actually be capable of positive emotions again. I'd pretty much felt dead to the world.

We chatted for a while longer and before I realized it, the afternoon was passing by. Something finally popped within Seth when he jolted up. "Oh God…I need to go home. I never went and talked to my mom and Leah!" he said frantically. I had a feeling that they were the worrying type. Leah had already proven that she cared a lot about her brother.

"Do you…um…want to come with me or would you like me to take you back to Sam's?" He asked. I told him that we'd do whatever he wanted. I didn't want to leave him, but at the same time, I didn't want to encroach too much. It didn't take him long to decide that I was going to meet his family. As we continued along, I started thinking maybe I should have just gone back to Sam's like he had offered. This was probably going to be awkward.

After a while of walking, we finally arrived at a decent sized home. It wasn't quite as big as Sam's, but it was larger than a lot of the houses. Seeing me look over the place, Seth explained that his family was on the Council, which afforded them slight bonuses on the reservation. I nodded along as he pulled me in.

As soon as he broke the threshold of the house, arms flew around Seth. I was going to wait outside until Seth had a chance to explain. Idly, I picked up the baseball bat that was sitting there, hoping to occupy my hands for the moment. I hated standing around doing nothing and running my hand along the bat reminded me of childhood. I spun it a few times, remembering playing back in middle school. I hadn't been great at it, but it was fun. After a couple of minutes, I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but I attributed it to the unfamiliar terrain. Then I felt the arm lock around my throat and realized that I probably should have heeded it.

"I won't let you hurt my imprint" a voice growled from behind me. Unable to breathe, I couldn't really explain that it wasn't what it looked like. My good arm was locked above my head and although it felt a lot better, the bandaged one was still in too much pain to actually use as a weapon. This guy had me pretty much beaten.

Doing the only thing I could think of, I used my legs to push us both backwards, slamming into the railing of the porch. The wood splintered behind the force, sending us both the few feet down to the ground. Fortunately the impact forced him to release his grip, but we were instantly circling one another. I could see in the boy's eyes that his wolf was in more control than him and mine had risen to the surface to take on this combatant.

"Embry!" I heard a girl scream out as she ran to put herself between us, just as Seth did the same. The wolf calmed slightly at her touch, but was still ready to go at it.

"Em, you need to stop. You wouldn't hurt my brother's imprint, would you?" she asked softly, running a hand along his face. Thankfully that seemed to pull him out of it and he instantly calmed.

"I just thought…" he began.

"You thought I was going to hurt her. I probably shouldn't have just been standing there with a bat, but I kinda figured Sam would have told you all not to go after me." I cut him off, understanding his point. I was an outsider that had only been seen trying to steal food. I admired the wolf for protecting his loved ones. We shook hands in an attempt to dispel any hard feelings.

"It's a wonder my house isn't more destroyed than this with all of you shifters around" a voice called out from the porch. I looked up to see a middle-aged woman that I could only guess was Seth's mother.

Embry chuckled sheepishly. "I'll fix it again Sue. This time I can't really blame Quil for it" he said with a smirk.

Leah and Embry left, leaving me to talk with the elder Clearwater. She asked me about myself, but she avoided any topics along the lines of my parents and being a shifter. I kinda thought that she'd be more bothered by a rogue wolf coming by like this, but the tribe respected the imprint. She knew that I was tied to Seth and that there was no point to hostility between us.

After an hour or so, I was dismissed to go back to Sam's to get ready for the bonfire. Apparently there were some things that needed to be discussed, and once again I got the same feeling that she knew something that I didn't. I tried to ignore it, however, knowing that I'd be clued in this evening. As long as they weren't trying to sacrifice me or anything, I didn't think there was much to worry about at the bonfire.

Seth escorted me back to the Alpha's house before leaving to get ready himself. Once inside, Emily helped me take off the bandage, revealing that the skin had pretty much healed itself. It was still sore, but at least I didn't look like I was vulnerable. I'd learned to hide any signs of weakness from a year of fighting leeches.

After another shower and raiding the clothes in the cupboard for a pair of khaki shorts and black t-shirt, I headed downstairs. There was a kitchen full of prepared food, all being put in boxes and taken out to Sam's truck. I offered to help, but was quickly told to go watch tv or something. I did as they asked hesitantly, but it wasn't long before we were headed towards the beach again.

The sky was beginning to darken and I could see a nice sized fire already burning. I could tell that some of them were the pack and they immediately made their way over when they saw Sam's truck.

"Why are we having this one, anyway?" one of them asked before tensing as his eyes made his way to me. I could sense the shivers running through him as he tried to control himself.

"Jared, why don't you and the others help carry the food." Sam said to the wolf. He shook himself a little before obeying and the group began to cart the food over to the tables that had been setup, never taking their eyes off of me. Yeah…this was going to be fun.

As darkness settled, an old man accompanied by what looked to be a shifter sat in a chair that had been setup for him. Seth also appeared with his mother, quickly joining me while his mother sat beside the older man. After we all ate, it was apparently time to settle down and get to the point of this meeting. I know that the pack was constantly keeping an eye on me, but the only two I really interacted with were Sam and Seth. I did notice Embry and Leah chatting and the fact that the pack wasn't aware of them surprised me. Even I could see that they cared about each other.

"So, we're having this bonfire tonight to explain some things. From what Sam told me, you all met Jacob here a few nights ago. Apparently the young Clearwater has imprinted on him?" he confirmed, receiving nods from the pack.

With that, he began telling the legends of the tribe, all of which were strikingly familiar. As we listened in about the third wife, I realized that these were identical to what dad had always told me.

"And now, we get to the point that most concerns you Jacob. You're not just some rogue wolf who wandered into the town. This is your home." He stated.

I looked at him blankly, not fully putting things together.

"Yes, Jake, you're Quileute. Your parents grew up on this reservation, but they didn't want you to, especially since they knew that if the gene activated, there was no doubt that you'd be a wolf. You see, I was a little surprised when I discovered that Sam was the Alpha of the pack. The truth is that it's only supposed to be by blood, and the last Alpha of the pack was Ephraim Black. Thus, we believe that Sam was never actually supposed to lead the pack." He stated.

"And what does that matter, sir?" I questioned. "He is the Alpha here. What could have been seems slightly irrelevant at this point." I stated, hoping that I wasn't coming off as too rude to the elder.

"Well…we expect that the Alpha position may change hands, one way or another…" Sam spoke up from behind me.

There was an outcry from the pack before the one that had been addressed as Jared spoke up. "You're kidding, right Sam? You wouldn't turn us over to someone else! We're a pack and we don't know a thing about this guy!" he exclaimed.

"I don't have any intention of taking control of your pack Sam. You seem to be doing a fine enough job as it is." I iterated, trying to quell the group.

"That's just it, we're not sure it'll be voluntary. Your wolf is the true Alpha wolf. Sure, Sam's great grandfather may have been Beta, but that doesn't carry the same weight. With you around, you'll naturally begin to take on the Alpha mentality, whether you like it or not. And although the pack may not love it, their wolves will look to you for leadership. Basically your presence is expected to trigger the change of power, whether or not you ask for it." The man explained.

"So basically we just need to get rid of him then, right? If he's going to cause a fracture in the pack, why should he be allowed to stay?" the boy I had fought with earlier – Paul, I think – grunted. I could see his point. It seemed like I was going to cause nothing but trouble.

"No Paul, that's not how we're going to deal with this. I…I think it's for the best." Sam said, causing me to look at him incredulously.

"You want me to take control of the pack, Sam? I don't know the first thing about leading people. This can't be what's best." I implored.

"No Jake, it is. What nobody knows is what toll this has taken on my wolf. On me. My wolf feels taxed beyond his capabilities. Every order and every command takes a lot out of him. I honestly don't think I can continue on this way. As Old Quil said, our wolves crave a true Alpha. Mine is no exception. Filling in for so long has him ready to step down." He told me and his pack.

"If you think I'm going to just stand around here and watch some nomad take command, you've got another thing coming" he responded, standing up.

He stormed off into the woods, leaving Sam shaking his head.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked Sam and the pack.

"Well, if this is what Sam wants, I'll follow his lead." Jared piped up, earning a nod from the rest.

"If it suits you Jake, I'd be happy to be your Beta and continue on in whatever role you want" Sam put in. I quickly agreed before Old Quil spoke up again.

"All right, I think the rest of this will need to be handled by you on your own. I suggest you all go out into the woods and let your wolves guide you." He directed.

Before I could go, Ms. Clearwater spoke up. "And Jake? Me and you have something to talk about in private." I nodded and turned back to the wolves in front of me.

We went into the trees, finally coming to a clearing. The pack still stayed in formation behind Sam with only Seth beside me. Everyone stripped down before phasing into their wolves. Self-conscious around them, I peeled off my clothes, aware that their vision would allow me to hide none of my battle scars. Before Seth could look, I exploded into my russet form, proving to be a head taller than most of the other wolves. Sam was the only one close to my size.

Unsure of what to do, I looked around at the 8 wolves that surrounded me. I tried to let my wolf take control and walked over to Sam. He bared his neck to me, offering his submission. My wolf latched onto his exposed weak spot, clamping down as if to explain that he could kill the wolf with one move. Upon releasing him, however, I felt a strange sensation of no longer being alone in my head. Suddenly his thoughts were racing into my head, as well as his voice.

One by one, I repeated the process, adding Seth, Jared, Leah, Embry, Quil, Collin, and Brady to this newly formed pack. Being bombarded by all of their thoughts was giving me a headache, but they seemed to be trying to contain themselves.

All of the sudden, a howl pierced the air, emanating from somewhere in the woods. Apparently no one could actually sense the wolf's thoughts, but nobody questioned that it had to have been Paul. As a pack, we took off in search of the wolf, only to find him pinned down by a relatively large group of leeches with blood red eyes.

I immediately launched myself at the one closest to me, ripping his head off in one quick motion. The others seemed to catch on quickly, battling against all of the leeches in the area. They were pretty good, despite not having all that much experience in fighting. Their wolves naturally knew what to do. There were probably a dozen vampires, but none of them were experienced in fighting against their natural predators. Why they were all here I didn't know, but it couldn't be a good sign. Still, the pack proved their merit, quickly disposing of the threat.

With most of them cleared, I saw Paul's human form get slammed up against a tree, a brute of a leech with its hand around his neck. I got there before the creature could flick his wrist and break Paul's neck, removing his arm from the rest of him before ripping him to shreds. Paul slumped to the ground, unconscious but still breathing. I looked at Sam who phased, placing the wolf on my back before all of us took off towards what I guess was my home for now. We had healing powers, but the wolf still needed to rest up. I could only hope that he wouldn't hold too much of a grudge. The silence of being a lone wolf can be painful, and I imagine that it'd be worse after having experienced being in a pack. I just needed to show him that me being Alpha didn't mean that he wasn't welcome…

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_AN: Well, Jake and Seth got some time and the heritage was revealed. I thought of having more conflict with the Alpha transition, but the truth is, I think that Sam needed the relief. Hopefully you enjoyed it and I look forward to those of you who decide to share your opinions. Now, I know I said this last time, but I don't plan to release another chapter until Friday. For real this time. Thanks for reading!_


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: Well, it's time for another Friday edition of TBA. Thanks for all of the favorites, alerts, and reviews. I appreciate all of your support. Hope that you enjoy this one!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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We got Paul back to the house, laying him in the guest bed. Emily and Sam helped to get him comfortable, placing a cold towel on his head after making sure he didn't have any bad breaks. They left the room, leaving me and Seth with the injured wolf. Jared, Quil, and Embry had volunteered to run a patrol, telling us they'd signal us if they ran into anything else.

I sat on the chair in the room, sighing heavily at what I had accepted. I put up a decent front in front of the others, but this was a little overwhelming. In the past couple of days I had discovered I basically had a soul mate, that I was actually from these lands I had stumbled upon, and had taken up the mantle of Alpha of a pack of shifters. The latter had been my fault, but if it was what Sam (who had provided me with more welcoming than I ever expected) wanted – and was going to happen one way or another – I figured it'd be best to get it over with. My dad had always taught me to embrace responsibility, but this was more than I had planned on encountering. Nothing could be done now, but I knew I'd be relying heavily on Sam through this.

"What if I'm no good at this?" I asked out loud as Seth walked over to me, sitting on the corner of the bed to face me.

"You will be. It's in your blood to lead. Plus, you'll have Sam there to help and he's been doing this for years. And, well, you'll have me." He said, smiling slightly at the end.

"What is it you want out of this, anyway?" I asked the wolf.

"I want whatever makes you happy. Whatever role that takes on is up to you." He said with almost a rehearsed tone.

"That's not what I asked. What is it that _you_ want? You have to have had an opinion on imprinting before it happened. What were you hoping to find with it?" I pushed.

"Well…I guess I always wanted what everyone else got out of their imprinting, maybe with the exception of Quil. I mean, I always thought it'd be nice to have someone to hold when I was upset, but also be able to comfort them when they needed it. I always hoped I'd imprint on a guy, especially once I figured out it was possible. I guess I was just looking for someone to be with, to complete me and all of that sappy stuff. But like I said, that really doesn't matter. I'm here as whatever you need me to be." He said, an obvious sadness in his voice at the end.

"Listen Seth…I'm not sure how much of that I can give you. I haven't interacted with people in a while, let alone actually being important to someone. But, if you're willing to put up with my mistakes, I'd like to try. I feel your need and want to be able to be there for you too." I whispered softly.

He smiled at that before finally yawning. It had been a long day for all of us. He told me he was headed home – with an obvious hope in his tone – and I couldn't help but to worry about him, even though I knew he was a shifter that could take care of himself. I just couldn't help it.

I stayed the night in the room, waking only as I began to hear a groaning coming from the bed. The wolf was obviously in pain – or a nightmare – so I shook him gently trying to stir him and see what he needed. His eyes shot open and surveyed the room before landing on me, causing a scowl to form.

"What are you doing here?" he growled.

I held my hands up as a sign of peace. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright" I said quietly.

"Well I don't need _your_ help. You don't need to put on a show for my benefit. It's not like I have anyone to run off and tell anyway. You already took away my pack." He said dejectedly as he stared at the bed.

"Listen Paul, I'm sorry about that. I didn't know how it was going to happen, but I never wanted to separate you from the pack." I stated, hoping to show the wolf that I wasn't the bad guy.

He stayed silent for a few moments before looking up at me. "I could feel them disappearing. Each one that submitted to you; I could feel them separating from me. I…felt alone again." He mumbled.

"I know what that's like. It's so silent when you're in your mind by yourself like that. I can only imagine it after having already been tied to others. If I had any kind of sense, I'd have waited to talk to you first. Nobody should feel that alone" I said, edging slightly closer to the shivering wolf.

"Will you…" he began to ask before shaking his head.

"Would you be willing to join your pack again? I'm not saying that I'm going to be half the Alpha that Sam was for you guys, but I'd like to do what I can to help all of you that I can." I said softly.

I received a nod in response. "I don't want to be alone." He quietly responded.

"Whenever you feel up to it" I told him.

"How about now?" he asked immediately.

"If that's what you want." I said, helping the shifter up and guiding him out the door and towards the forest. Once there, we phased and I stared at the wolf in front of me. He was strong, but I could tell that he had a lot of baggage. Still, once he offered his neck, I didn't hesitate to initiate him back into his pack. I felt the hum as a barrage of thoughts and emotions hit me before he could close them off. I could see his rough family life, especially the abuse he suffered from his father. His anger, pain, and sorrow filled me, but I could tell that he was just as wrapped up in the memories of my family that came flowing out of me.

The connection complete, we were both left panting. He apologized for not being able to control his thoughts, but I shook him off.

"Do the others know about him?" I asked, wincing at the pain I felt at the mention.

"They'd just think I was weak for dealing with it. They wouldn't understand that even if it's not ideal, it's still family." He said sadly.

"Listen, Paul. I want you to stay with someone else. Whoever you're closest to, whether it's Sam or Jared, or one of the others. You don't need to go home to that again. Just because you heal doesn't mean that what he does doesn't have a lasting effect." I pleaded, hoping he'd see that it wasn't weakness to try and escape.

All of a sudden, the wolf phased back and completely broke down. Why he had always bottled these emotions up was beyond me, but he needed to vent them out. I immediately joined him, gently consoling the grieving boy as he let it all out.

"I – I can't make myself leave" he choked out. I knew I needed to help the wolf, but I had no idea what I could do. And then I remembered what his submission meant: I was his Alpha. He had to listen to my orders.

"Paul, I order you to stay with someone else until I tell you otherwise" I commanded. He looked up at me, obviously shocked that I had pulled that card, especially so soon. I could only hope that I had made the right decision, but the simple nod didn't really encourage me. I escorted the wolf back to the house and made sure he got to sleep again, gently nudging him when he seemed to be bothered. He was a good wolf, but nobody understood him. I hated that he felt the need to close himself off, but I'd do whatever I could to help him.

After that initial change, things slowed down. I was grateful for the time to be able to adjust to this new role. Paul began to live with Jared after I spoke to him about his friend needing somewhere to stay. I couldn't tell at first if the change helped the troubled wolf, but he never showed signs of resenting me for basically forcing him out of his home.

I was enrolled in the school and placed in the junior class without any question from the administration about my records. The last year I had completed was my sophomore year, and since I had always been young for my year, it basically just put me as one of the older ones. I didn't love being forced to sit in the classes, mainly because I constantly felt driven to be in the woods. Being in such a structured environment still seemed foreign to me. More importantly, we still hadn't caught Victoria, but she showed up regularly to taunt us. It was the most frustrating cat and mouse game ever, though the leech seemed to have endless patience when it came to going after the human that was being protected by a local coven of "vegetarian" vampires.

I pushed for more patrols as more and more newborns crossed our paths, keeping the pack up until the early hours every night. I thought that they were dealing with it well, but I finally overheard a conversation between the two youngest pups that changed my ways. I had planned to visit them after going through some records and discovering that Collin's mother was actually my dad's sister, making him my cousin. Call me an idealist, but the idea of building a connection to someone that was truly family seemed important, even if we hadn't grown up together. I was about to knock on the door when I heard a voice coming from a window.

"I don't know if I can deal with this for much longer, Brady. It's just so hard balancing all of this." Collin said, exhaustion evident in his voice.

"I know Collin, but she's a threat. It's a lot to handle, but we have to catch her. You've felt it from him. Jake needs her dead." Brady replied.

"I recognize that he's our Alpha and that we have to do what he says, but I just wish Sam would tell him that we need some type of rest. It takes everything I have not to fall behind in school…" the first wolf responded.

Brady consoled his imprint, trying to help him see that things would get better. I continued to listen on for a few moments, finally seeing what I was doing to the pack. I hung my head and turned around, feeling like scum. I had pulled all of these guys into my quest for personal vengeance. Sure, it was important to patrol and protect the people, but what I had been putting them through was nothing short of obsessive.

That night we were patrolling, as always. Now that I was looking for it, I could feel everyone's exhaustion, but none of them would complain. I admired their devotion, but knew that this was wrong. I called an end to the patrol at 10, letting them all go back to their homes. Nobody questioned it, grateful to finally be able to get some rest. I, however, maintained the patrol. I just couldn't allow myself to give up, but the silence was kinda lonely, especially after having grown accustomed to having the pack around.

After a couple of days of repeating the routine Sam began to join me for the late night patrols. He didn't have school and his job didn't start until the mid-morning. He never brought up what I was doing, but I had a feeling he understood all too well. It was an Alpha's job to protect his pack, even if it meant taking on more responsibility.

Seth quickly caught on as well. It had been less than a week of just Sam and me when I felt Seth lingering after the others had left. Like Sam, he never said a word, but ran patrols with us. We all talked throughout the night and I found myself craving Seth's presence. Sam normally stayed out of our conversations, occasionally throwing in something when he thought it was relevant or when he had caught a fresh scent. I think he recognized that both of us were trying to learn about the other. I could feel his relief that Seth was being treated well. He obviously had a soft spot for the young wolf.

Aside from patrols, I tried to hang out with Seth as much possible. We saw each other a decent amount at school, despite the fact that he was a year below me. We also spent as much time as possible together during the weekends before we hit the woods. It was nice holding him, talking to him, and just being with him in general. The first time our lips met sent fire through me, but that was as far as we had taken things at this point. The boy definitely caused stirrings within me, but I had to tell myself that he was only 16. Albeit, my concept of what a 16 year old was might have been skewed given my past year, but I couldn't see him as being ready for anything more.

One thing that I loved doing was working on Seth's car with him. He had what many would consider a piece of junk, but spending time with him under the hood made me glad that he had something that needed some work. I had spent a lot of time learning about cars from my dad growing up. It had been another of our pastimes when I was younger. Seth had an older model Rabbit that's engine was being rebuilt. He had already dealt with the interior, putting in new seats and carpeting, making it look almost new. The engine was the last piece and we spent hours chatting as we worked on it. I knew that I was helping as we'd made a lot of progress over the past few weeks. It was great to apply what I had spent years learning.

I grew closer to the pack as well. One day I could sense something was wrong and found Collin and Brady being cornered by a number of jerks. Even though they were wolves, they were still the smallest in the pack and they were hesitant in using any of their power against normal humans, even if they were thugs. I rounded a corner and drove two of them into the lockers, pinning them there. Safe to say that all of them backed off quickly, running off with their tails between their legs. Cowards. Guess I was learning a bit of Sam's protective nature. The others oftentimes hung out at Sam's when we weren't patrolling, giving me a chance to learn about them. I figured out that Jared and Quil had great senses of humor. Embry was quiet, but very pleasant to talk to. Paul seemed to be slowly opening up and I'd even heard him occasionally laughing. Leah had been nothing but kind to me, obviously glad that Seth was happy. She even admitted that she had imprinted, earning support from everyone, especially my Beta. Sam and I probably spent the most time together – with the exception of Seth of course – but that was because we lived together. I felt like I was imposing, but he and Emily refused to let me call myself a burden. Sam was more relaxed without being Alpha, even if he still helped me with everything. All in all, I really was starting to like being around these guys. They were just a great group of people who were connected by a tremendous responsibility.

After over a month of the same repetition, I finally was given a reason to meet the Cullens. Sam received a phone call asking for a meeting. He and I went to our border to find out what they wanted. Apparently Victoria was tired of all of the games. A pixie little vampire says she could see the redhead amassing an army in Seattle. She had every intention of launching an attack on us in order to finally get at Bella. The pixie also said that there were holes in her vision that she couldn't explain. Victoria always tended to have something up her sleeve. Still, as much as the prospect of war scared me, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I wasn't a little excited to get a chance to truly go head to head with her.

We agreed to meet for training, as Alice – or so she was called – expected that the army would be here in a week. Departing, I called the pack to come to Sam's. They all agreed that we would meet up every evening until the time was here. Sam agreed to contact the school, as apparently the principal was aware of our existence. If I had known that, I might have tried to use it to my advantage and get the pack a lighter load, but Sam saved the request for now to use.

We met the Cullens at a field in the middle of the woods. It was a neutral territory that would work well for sparring. My pack had limited experience fighting leeches, but they had done well enough in the one conflict we had encountered. One of the Cullens, however, had apparently experienced fighting a lot of newborns. He spoke to the pack – all sitting in wolf form – and instructed them on the basics of how to avoid getting beaten by the newborns. I confirmed most of what he said, not finding any flaws with his strategies. Everything seemed to coincide with my experiences with rogues, even if this would be slightly different. It was only when the one known as Edward translated that thought to his family that I realized that they had some impressive capabilities, even beyond their strength, speed, and marble-like skin.

Then began the actual training. We watched the family spar against each other before joining in ourselves. For the first couple of days, each of us paired off against a different vampire. It allowed us to get a decent feel for how to go against different types of fighters. Some of them relied on speed – like Alice and blonde headed one – whereas some preferred to just use strength, like the large brute of the family. Still, we had to remember the subtle differences. The newborns would be more frenzied and ultimately stronger, even if this coven had brains and abilities on their side.

After a few days of this, we finally decided to go into more of a crazed brawl pitting the two sides against each other. 5 wolves would take on the entire family, showing how to deal with being outnumbered on the actual battlefield. Sam, Brady, Collin, Jared, and Paul did really well together, ultimately keeping the family from getting the upper hand and pinning them all by the end.

My group didn't do poorly either, but Jasper was able to get his arms around Seth, a maneuver that would have done the poor wolf in if it was a real fight. I knew that he hadn't been a wolf for very long and, but overall he was good. He had taken down a leech on his own during one of our patrols. Still, the numbers made it difficult for him to keep an eye on all of them. I could feel the frustration rolling off of him as we finished the simulation and tried to comfort him as best as possible without making the pack too uncomfortable.

The next night, Sam and I met with Carlisle, Edward, and Jasper to iron out the final battle plan. The basics were simple. We'd hide the human, Bella, up with Edward on the mountain, disguising her scent with a wolf carrying her. The wolf would be stationed up there with her to keep her warm and keep in touch with the pack. I immediately volunteered Seth for this, wanting to keep him out of the main fight. Collin and Brady were to patrol below, just in case any strays picked up on the scent. This kept the 3 pups out of the turmoil, at least to what extent they could be. Us wolves would blindside the leeches as they entered the field and begin fighting before they figured out where we were coming from.

The plan drawn out, we parted ways, planning to meet up the morning of the fight. The pack was already waiting at Sam's and as we detailed it, almost everyone accepted the plan. Seth was the only one who was bothered and I couldn't understand when he stormed out the door when the meeting was over. I had figured he'd want to spend some time together after the long hours of training we'd been through.

I followed out after him, breaking into a sprint when I heard a cracking of trees. My mind instantly assumed that he was being attacked, but I was shocked when I watched as the young wolf stood launching his fists into a large tree. I ran over to him, grabbing his arms before he could bloody his knuckles any further, allowing the wolf to break down in my arms.

"Why are you doing this, Jake?" he asked as he looked up at me.

"I just want to keep you safe. Don't you understand that I'd prefer you not in the main fight? It's dangerous and I'd rather have you somewhere safer." I said softly, pulling him into a hug.

"You don't understand. I need to be there. It…it's her fault that my father died. She attacked him and he had a heart attack. That was the day I first phased. Don't you see? I need to be there!" he yelled, emotions flowing through him.

It made sense now and I couldn't believe how similar we really were. I pulled him closer as he let his tears of anger flow.

"I understand, Seth. But I still can't let you do it. Listen to me, as your Alpha and your imprint. I will take care of her." I whispered as I stroked his hair before launching into an explanation of my first phase. He understood what it was like more than anyone else could and it was nice being able to let him in on why I was so driven. At this point only Paul was truly aware of how I had come to know the redhead.

After that we slowly walked back to the house. We needed to spend as much time as possible together. Who knew if we would both make it through what was about to come…

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_AN: Sounds pretty familiar, eh? The main battle is just a fun way to direct the action, even if it isn't exactly original. It allows for almost endless possibilities and I've never written it the same way twice. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. What will happen in the battle this time? As always, I hope you'll take the time to leave your feedback. Your words truly help in the writing process._


	6. Chapter 6

_AN: As always, thanks for the reviews. Hopefully this chapter proves entertaining and somewhat different, as I do try to put a spin on things, even if it is somewhat of a rehash of the major conflict in the books. On a side note, this will be the first chapter with a POV change (albeit a brief one), but it probably won't be who you expect. All right, let's get this rolling._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

On the surface, the calm before the storm was exactly that: calm. We took the time to rest and spend time with our loved ones. For me, that meant with Seth and Sue, who had become a second mother to me in recent weeks. I ran a small patrol with Sam to make sure nothing was lurking beforehand, but it was quiet. Sam tried to alleviate my stress by saying that he'd have made all the same decisions over the past few weeks, but I still couldn't help but feel like anything that went wrong would be a direct result of what I'd done. Afterwards I was attached to Seth's side not wanting him too far away. I knew it would be best for him to be out of the main field, but I hated being that far away from him. He still wasn't happy about being left out of it, but he accepted my request. I hung out with him during the day, working on the Rabbit as if nothing was out of the ordinary. We ate dinner with his family and Embry who was spending as much time with Leah as he could. We even stayed together for the night, discussing our hopes and dreams.

I let out a contented sigh as I savored the feeling of Seth curled against me, running his hand along my abs as we discussed all of our feelings. We weren't even contemplating sleep, despite knowing that we'd need as much energy as possible for the next day. Every minute was precious and if you took out what loomed in the future, being here with him fit my definition of perfection. It was definitely something that I could get used to. I dusted his bangs out of his eyes, leaning down and placing what was supposed to be a chaste kiss on his lips. I still felt like I was full of butterflies every time we did anything intimate, but I knew he craved my affection just as much as I needed his. Before I could pull away, Seth had reached behind me and pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. Our tongues explored each other's mouths, releasing only once we were out of breath. It was deep, passionate, and allowed us to express the feelings that we held for each other. His hands explored my chest as I wrapped mine around his firm, smooth back. Every gentle touch was enough to send shockwaves through me and it was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Sure, it hadn't been all that long since we had met, but I knew without a doubt what our imprint represented. We were perfect for each other. After we finally broke our needy make out session, I kept him pulled up against my side all night. The fact that we were both overheated didn't matter. We needed to be close to each other, and with the window open, a cool breeze wafted over our bodies. It was peaceful, but we both knew that it wouldn't last for long.

All too quickly, the morning came and, as hard as it was, I sent Seth up with the human girl. Edward Cullen was already up there waiting so it was the final step to completing our preparation. We had spread the girl's scent around the area in order to help draw in the leeches, hoping to distract them once they arrived. Brady and Collin went off to do their patrols and we entered the woods. It wouldn't be long before the newborns got here.

Not even 20 minutes later, we heard the first of the vampires as they broke through the trees, frenzied and looking for the girl. As we were preparing to launch our attack, a large body crashed into mine, sending me through a tree. I looked up to see what was clearly an Alpha standing where I had been. His 3 wolves were quickly engaging my pack, attempting to latch their jaws around Quil, Embry, and Paul. Fortunately we had quickly recovered as Leah, Sam and Jared had immediately come to the aid of their brothers, but this still wasn't what we were expecting to go against. Still, a pack of 4 thinks they can take on 7 of us? I'm guessing that they had hoped to use the element of surprise to take at least a couple of us out, but we were still intact and ready to retaliate.

I charged back into the fray, taking the Alpha on directly. Embry and Leah had teamed up to go after one of them, Jared and Paul another, and Quil was already backing the third up with Sam's help. Two of the wolves were smaller, making this an easy fight for the rest of our pack. The Alpha was large, but I still had a slight size advantage. As he braced himself by digging his claws into the dirt, I charged directly in. Instead of hitting him head on, I spun at the last second and delivered a kick with my hind legs. He yelped in surprise before barreling out into the field and I sprung after him. We circled each other, snapping and looking for a weakness. I hadn't had to fight wolves before, but this didn't seem much different from the leeches I had encountered over the years. He landed a good slash across my chest, but not before I was able to get in another good kick to his ribs. When he launched at me I got my head under his, quickly raising up into his chin and completely knocking him out. I saw that my pack had incapacitated the rest of them as well, ending the threat from the outsiders.

"Embry & Leah, I want you two to watch over these bastards. If they try and fight back, don't hesitate to do what you have to. If any leeches come over here, try and keep the mutts alive for now, but don't risk yourselves to do it. I may want answers, but they're not worth either of you getting hurt. Everyone else, let's do what we were built for!" I commanded out, launching myself towards our original goal.

When I got a good view of the battlefield, I was utterly confused. Sure, there were a number of leeches, but it wasn't anything like what we had been expecting. The Cullens had pretty much taken care of everything already, leaving very little for the pack to finish off. I looked around, waiting for the next wave to appear before I felt something wrong.

Out of nowhere, Collin and Brady disconnected from our minds. The last thought that they had had was a brief look of being overwhelmed. The quick flash of encountering several leeches before they were gone had filled our minds, showing us how wrong we had been in expecting to fool them.

Suddenly I could feel Seth's panic. In front of him stood Victoria with a man to her side. Edward was being restrained by several vampires, while Seth was being backed into a corner. I didn't waste a moment as I began to run towards the mountain and my wolf

"Riley, just lock him down already. Don't completely cut him off though. I want the pack to watch their failure." The redhead sneered before walking over to the girl we had been protecting. The confusion of Seth not being able to move filled us all as we realized that the leech had some kind of power, much like the Cullens.

Without hesitation, Victoria sunk her teeth into the brunette, quickly draining her of life and leaving her on the ground. It was sickening to watch, but as she walked back towards Seth, I began to push myself even faster. I didn't even stop as she addressed me, knowing she was just trying to distract me.

"You see, Jake? Once again, I have all that you care about in my hands. He's going to be my little pet now, but you'll soon discover that he's not the only one of yours that I have. You are a complete waste of an Alpha. Look at all those you've already failed! Your parents, now your wolves? Pathetic." She sneered. This served to make me push harder, the pack on my heels. Leah and Embry had joined us, leaving the Cullens to watch over the wolves that we had left behind.

"Alright Riley, shut him down. Let's get out of here. I'll see you soon, Jakey" she closed before I felt every bit of my connection to Seth disappear. It was a level of distressing that I had felt only once before, and that was as I saw my parents in the car that night. Not only could I not feel him in the pack mind, but it was as if we were completely cut off from each other. I couldn't feel my pup at all.

Suddenly we came across the massive army that we had been expecting. We crashed into them, tearing them apart limb from limb. This wasn't a controlled fight like what we had been practicing. There was no plan or patience, no formations or strategies. We weren't teaming up and watching each other. We were pushing forward. This leech had taken at least one of our own and we needed to get to them. I had no caution and was completely exposed, but I couldn't afford to waste time being defensive.

All of the pack went to work, ripping limbs and heads off as we carved a hole through the masses. We had caught them too off guard to face much resistance yet and we were quickly making a dent in their forces. Those that we didn't land our teeth in got flung around as we used the nearby ledge as a way to at least clear them out. I know that this was a frantic push forward, but remove the drastic nature of it and there's something funny about watching a wolf throw his body at a group and sending them all sailing off the edge. Sure, it wouldn't kill them, but it at least cleared them out of our way and Quil had made a nice path with that maneuver.

Suddenly I felt two of them jump onto my back, causing me to crash down into the ground. I began to thrash, but the two leeches were huge and I couldn't see any of my pack nearby. As they were beginning to squeeze Brady crashed through, taking both of them off of me. I quickly tore one of them in half before looking up to watch Brady continuing his war path. I couldn't sense anything from him other than blind rage. I could see that he wasn't in control, allowing his wolf to completely push him forward. I called the pack to my side and we charged in with him, breaking through to the top of the mountain.

What we saw was an image I'd never be able to get out of my head. Edward was biting the motionless girl everywhere, trying to get his venom to take hold in her. Suddenly she began to convulse, the massive amount of bites taking their toll and spreading the poison even faster than usual. Carlisle and Jasper were there in a heartbeat, quickly restraining the newborn before she could launch herself at one of us. She seemed to calm quickly and I remembered that Jasper had some kind of emotion control. This wasn't what really mattered to me though. Seth and Victoria were gone. Sure, her army was decimated, but she had accomplished everything that she wanted when she set out on this attack.

I was at a loss. I wanted nothing more than to just chase after them, but I had no clue where to go. I couldn't sense anything. No smells, no tracks, no anything. Victoria had always been able to cover her trail really well. I had to wonder if she had some kind of ability for it. That would also explain why the pups were so blindsided by the massive amount of leeches that should have been easy to sense coming. Still, this was completely new. I couldn't feel the normal pull I had towards Seth. It was as if he were completely gone.

As the pack and the one they referred to as Emmett finished off what was left of the army, Brady phased back beside me, curled up in the fetal position. His sobs echoed over the mountain and I quickly joined him, pulling him into my grasp. I knew what he was going through. Victoria had said that she had more than one of us and since Brady was here…it meant his imprint was with her. It was obvious that he felt just as disconnected from Collin as I did from Seth. Hell, his feeling may have even been stronger since he had imprinted back on the wolf.

"He's gone Jake! He has to be dead. I can always feel him, even if we're apart. She killed my Collin!" He choked out before letting the sobs overtake him again.

I refused to believe him as I held him close. There was no way that Seth was dead. I couldn't allow myself to think that she had taken the last thing that I truly cared about from me. She had already killed my parents. Was fate really cruel enough to allow her to kill my soul mate too?

I threw on some shorts and quickly bundled the broken wolf in my arms. He was taking this extremely hard and I couldn't blame him. I was barely keeping it together, but it wouldn't help anything to allow myself to look weak in front of the others. They needed their leader to be strong, especially right now.

We slowly made our way back down, stopping only once we relieved the three female leeches who were watching over the pack that had held us up before. I was pretty close to wanting to just kill them without explanation, but I knew that it wouldn't really help. I handed Brady to Jared and told the older wolf to stay with him at Sam's while I went and dealt with our prisoners.

Stopping to survey them, I realized that they had a female shifter as well. I could see that Leah was intrigued, but the fact that her brother was gone was still holding all of her focus.

"What right do you have to come onto our lands and attack us, especially with a legion of vampires!?" I spat out at the Alpha.

"My sister was told that you were holding a female shifter captive so that you'd have someone suitable to bear an Alpha's pups. She had never heard of another female and the thought of someone holding someone like her against their will bothered her immensely. So, when the redhead said she had a plan to fight against the coven that had killed her mate that would put her in conflict with you, we agreed that we'd try and help. We just wanted to free her" he said nodding at Leah. "My hope was that maybe she'd be interested in helping us pass on the gene. I am imprinted with a male, and despite the fact that I love him, it presents the problem that our genetic code is at a dead end" he explained.

Sam grabbed Leah before she could attack the Alpha. "They took my brother you idiot! They're not holding me against my will. This is my pack, my people. I grew up here and my imprint is here. Why would you not at least try and find out about things before agreeing with a leech! Also, how dare you think that I'd do that! Besides, don't your people know that an Alpha's genes have to be passed on? Just be with your imprint and things will work themselves out you imbecile! That is, if I don't get my hands on you for helping her take my brother!" she fumed, ready to go after him if Sam were to release her.

"What do you mean, be with my imprint? We both know it's not humanly possible for two guys to…well, have a kid." He said, blushing as he looked at a smaller wolf to his right.

"Humanly? Since when are we merely human? He has the ability to adj– "

"That's enough Leah" Sam interrupted. I was actually confused at this. What was Leah talking about? Still, I quickly shrugged off the confusion. It didn't really matter. My Seth was gone.

"And you!" she yelled, turning to me. "At least show that you're somewhat bothered that he's gone! I don't care that you didn't imprint on him, you meant everything to him. The fact that you're so calm makes me think that you don't even care that he's been taken!"

Before I could react, Paul responded to the irate wolf. "Shut up, Leah. Can't you see that he's hurting? He doesn't want to add his pain to what we're all feeling so he's trying to stay calm. The fact that you can't tell how much he cares, especially after seeing them together, makes me wonder how oblivious you really are!" he exploded, coming to my defense. I nodded silently at him, as a few tears slid down my cheek. The she-wolf apologized before walking away, mumbling about going and talking to her mom about what had happened. I couldn't really blame her for lashing out. She cared about Seth enough to come find me in the woods. We were both hurting, but we had different coping mechanisms.

My attention turned to our attackers, but I could see the remorse in their eyes. I untied the wolves and told them to get off of our lands. My pack looked at me as if I was nuts as I let them off without any further justice. I had the right to kill them, but what good would it do? They messed up badly, but getting rid of a pack that was supposed to help protect their people wouldn't help me feel any better. They apologized profusely but I told them that they could prove it by staying the hell out of our territory. I was in no mood to deal with useless apologies. "I'm sorry" wasn't going to get either of our wolves back.

I took off, headed towards Sam's, the pack stepping into formation behind me. We got to the house and went to see our brother. He was sobbing against Jared who looked like a deer in the headlights. He obviously didn't have much experience in this, but he was still trying to take care of the pup.

I waved him off, replacing the wolf myself. I ran my hand through Brady's hair, trying to console him as Sam took the pack back out to the living room.

"I know Brady, it's hard. But listen to me. I don't think they're gone yet. We may not be able to feel them, but I still think that we have a chance to save them." I told him. I'm not sure who I was trying to convince more, but I wouldn't accept that they were really gone.

He nodded against me, trying to clear his eyes. It was easier to hold out hope, even if it meant that there was a better chance for us to be devastated in the future. If we gave up hope now, we would stand no chance of ever finding them.

"Me and you. We're going to find them. She can't keep them from us, even with whatever she's doing. We'll figure this out and we'll bring them home." I said, continuing to run my hand through his hair. The pup was clearly devastated. He had a relationship that he knew was real. His best friend and mate were gone. Anyone else would be in the same shape, but he was trying to pull himself together. We needed to find a way to track her.

That night Brady stayed with us. His parents were alerted that he was alive, but they also were informed about Collin. The fact that they knew about the pack and their son's imprint made it easier to explain the circumstance, but they were naturally devastated for Brady. Sam had been the one to tell Collin's mother, while Leah had gone directly to Sue to break the news, just as she said she would. Sam insisted that I shouldn't be the one to do it and I accepted it like a coward. I had let my pack down, but I wasn't man enough to tell the families that.

As the early hours crept by, I continued to embrace Brady. We were both hurting and at a loss for what to do. Even though I hadn't imprinted, I felt extremely protective of Seth. I knew that Brady had seemed like the more dominant wolf between he and my cousin, so this failure was really causing him to spiral downward.

Suddenly I heard a shuffle outside the window and a moment later that there was a person standing in the room. I immediately recognized him as Edward, the mindreader of the Cullen family. Sensing my anxiety, he jumped straight to the point.

"I'm sorry for taking so long to get here, but I was able to pick up on Victoria's thoughts before she left. I don't know what she has planned, but she seemed amused as to where she's taking them." Edward explained.

"Where has she gone?" I asked as Brady began to tense up.

"Apparently you've become her favorite target to toy with. She said that she was going to be at the cliff where it all began." He said, unsure of what it meant.

"It's…it's the place she got away from me when I first phased. She's taking them back to my hometown." I said, frowning. What had I ever done to this sadistic woman to make her hate me?

"There's a problem though. Her new mate has a power that I can't understand. I could only see glimpses in his mind, but it seems like he can do something to a person and shut down their mind. It's powerful, but I'm not sure what can be done about it." Edward continued.

I nodded, knowing that it didn't really matter. Even if it was a trap, we had to get back to our wolves. I had a feeling that this would be the end, one way or another.

"Bella and I are going to come with you. She's strong as a newborn and wants to help end the threat that she caused by being a target. Hopefully I can figure out what Victoria has planned as we go. I suggest we leave immediately, as she isn't really known for being extremely patient." The vampire finished, receiving only a nod as we all got up to leave. We hopped out of the window, preparing to begin the long journey across the country. We phased and began a full throttle run along with the two leeches at a pace that I didn't know we could achieve. Safe to say we had one hell of a motivation to get to where we needed to be.

It was time to go after our wolves. It was time for me to end this quarrel with the redheaded bloodsucker. There was no way around it: one of us had to die to finally put this behind us.

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**Victoria's POV**

My plan was complete. I had the two wolves tied up before me, neither of them resisting at all. Riley had been the perfect acquisition. Sure, I was using him for his abilities, but he actually wasn't all that bad to have around. Maybe after this I'd keep him, even if he wasn't quite what I had hoped for. The Cullens had gotten rid of my one true mate.

Still, he had proven himself loyal and useful. Jacob Black would come here and he would die. All of them would die and I would finally have my revenge. I would kill his mate first, and then the second wolf here, completely ending all that remained of that dreadful family. The boy may not be a Black by name, but he was still from that bloodline. Of course, I had to have my fun first, but at the end of the day, they'd all be gone. If only Jacob had just died with his family, maybe these other wolves wouldn't be in this predicament. Instead he decided to drag others into this, but I'm not complaining.

I knew Edward would try and help them. I had intentionally prevented Riley from wasting the great reveal of what he was capable of in front of the leech. No need to let out all of my secrets. Always best to have a couple of aces up your sleeve.

The time had finally come. It wouldn't be too long before the mutts came charging in to save their mates. Edward would die for killing James and Jake would finally pay for being a descendant of the last mongrel leader. The other one was irrelevant, but it's not like I really cared how many I killed. This would finally allow me to move on. They have no idea what's in store for them when they get here...

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_AN: Well, I had originally designed some other things to go in this chapter, but I went against them. This is how it flowed, so hopefully it didn't prove to be too dull. What does Victoria have in store? I guess that will have to wait for the next installment hehe. I kinda felt like throwing in a look from the villain's side. Just wanted to show that maybe there's more to her than just wanting to toy with our Alpha. Thanks for reading!_


	7. Chapter 7

_AN: Hello all. I recognize that this post is a few days later than normal. I expect that the weekly update idea is pretty much done. I've been dealing with too many personal issues and real life is picking up (which really just means work), so in the future, updates will happen as they happen. That being said, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy and as always, I'd like to thank those of you that choose to review, favorite, and alert the story. As a warning, this chapter has a bit of the "M" Rating applied, as well as a short POV change. Hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

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**Jake's POV**

The four of us pushed ourselves as fast as we could, stopping only on occasion to hunt. Edward – and especially Bella – needed to refuel regularly, and as much as we hated the idea, Brady & I dug into some of the same animals that they did. They weren't trying to eat the meat and we didn't need the blood, but sharing a meal like this seemed unnatural, even if we hadn't been really natural in a long time.

As I became frustrated with the progress, I began to wish that we had just flown. The problem was that with the new security measures in place, it would have been pretty difficult to get the vampires through security. The scanners apparently didn't work on their skin and a pat down wouldn't have gone well either. Since they were wanting to help and we needed to try and get as much information about Victoria's plans as possible, pushing ourselves through the woods was the quickest path.

By the second day we had come in contact with the pack who were irate that we hadn't told them before we left. We reasoned that if we showed up with the entire pack, there was no chance that Victoria would spare the two wolves she had. Edward had told us that she wanted us and only us, but that she expected Edward to be there as well. Her choice in location and insistence that she take Seth were major indicators that she wanted to torture me for some reason. I don't know what she had planned with Brady and Collin in the mix, but I knew that it couldn't be good. I had ordered the others to stay back and protect the reservation, but allowed for Sam and Leah to come after us. If nothing else, they'd be able to know what happened, one way or another.

It was also that afternoon that Brady and I were taking a rest while the vampires went for a quick hunt. The boy was exhausted and as he laid his head on his paws, I knew he was done for. Sure enough he was out cold within seconds and I decided to allow the pup to catch a few minutes of sleep. Suddenly my mind was full of images radiating out of him. This felt like a whole new level of connection, as his dream played out in front of me, uninhibited by the normal conscious barriers that we all put up in wolf form. Standing before us were the two leeches that had taken our pups, but my heart stopped as I saw Seth and Collin laying at their feet, a small trail of blood running down their necks. Both of us fell to our knees as we took in the sight of our mates, not even acknowledging their killers as they stalked towards us. Suddenly the world faded and I could see Edward shaking Brady awake, pulling us from the dream. I walked over and nuzzled the distressed pup, hoping to calm him down a little. "They're going to be fine Brady. We'll get them." I comforted. For all of our sakes, I just hope that I wasn't lying.

By the third day we had crossed over into Massachusetts. We hadn't spoken much to Edward or Bella, spending the time mulling over the possibilities instead. We knew she had the two wolves, but what if Brady's dream came true and she had already killed them before we got there? The lack of being able to feel them was really starting to get to us.

A few miles away from the cliff, Edward paused to talk to us. We were anxious, but knew that we needed some kind of idea of what we were walking into.

"All right guys, here's what I know. The two of them are still there. I can't sense much, but I do know that they still have your wolves alive. There aren't any other of our kind in the area from what I can tell, but it could be a trick. I also keep seeing glimpses of the male's powers. They're strong, but I can tell that he's worried about pushing it further. He's a young vampire so he may not have full control of it yet. Even if he tries to use them on us, there's a chance they may weaken. Still, I can't say exactly what he can do or what they have planned. It's…frustrating to be in the dark about something as big as this." He finished with a sigh. We nodded in understanding before taking off for the final few moments of the trip.

As soon as we came out of the woods we could see our wolves standing there with Victoria and her mate beside them. As we approached, the leeches wrapped a hand around both Seth and Collin's necks, showing us that we were at a disadvantage.

"Why don't you two mutts phase back?" she sneered. "Oh Edward, Bella! Nice to see you two. Welcome to the world of being immortal. Don't worry, I'll make sure your second life is a short one." She threw in as she watched the two exit with us. Her confidence was a little unnerving. You'd think that 4...or 6 on 2 would at least make her worried.

We phased back without question, knowing that we had to play along with her for now. "What did I ever do to you? You've done nothing but make my life hell for the past year. Why?" I demanded as I approached the leech. Seth was my priority, but I still wanted answers.

"Oh Jacob, you think this is all about you? Alright, alright. It is. Watching you suffer is a personal passion of mine. I guess we could have some story time. You see, once upon a time, I was a part of a coven, led by my sire. The three of us roamed the country, doing whatever we pleased. We could kill anyone we wanted and never had an issue finding blood. It was the perfect life. Then we happened across _Ephraim Black_ and his pack of filthy mongrels. They caught my sire off guard, as he'd never seen any shapeshifters before, even in all of the years that he'd roamed the country. His mate tried to save him, but Black turned on her first before going back and killing my creator. He single handedly destroyed my family while his two dogs chased after me. Now it's my job to end _his_ family line. With your parents gone, that pretty much leaves you and…what's his name…Collin over here. I'll probably go back and kill his mother too, just to be thorough. The key point is, the Black line _will_ end." She snarled.

"You really are just a monster" I sighed. What more could be said? My great grandfather and his pack had ridded the world of murderers. They did what they had to, but this…creature was making us pay for it.

"Aww, now that's just mean. Don't you have the decency to avoid name calling? Tsk tsk. Oh well, I'm done with the talking. I'd rather see what you two wolves are capable of." She said with a smirk.

"What do you mean, what we're capable of? I'll be happy to take you on, one on one." I challenged.

"Oh, Edward wasn't able to figure it out? It won't be me that you are going to put yourself up against. You two dogs are going to fight. But this won't just be some sparring match. There's even a prize attached! Whichever one of you kills the other gets to have your imprint back. Isn't that something worth fighting for?" she said giddily.

"You can't honestly think I'll kill one of my wolves" I said, looking at Brady's quickly paling face. I loved Seth, a fact that I knew without a doubt, but I didn't think I could actually kill another one of my pack for a false guarantee. Victoria wasn't one to keep promises and she had already said that she wanted to kill our family line. She was contradicting herself, and I wasn't going to fall for it.

"Oh you will. You see, whether you like it or not, your wolves are extremely protective of your mates. They'll do whatever it takes to protect them. You see these two?" she asked, indicating Seth and Collin. They had an eerily dead look in their eyes. On top of that, I still couldn't _feel _their presence, even if I could see them clearly. "These two have been separated from their wolves. Riley here has the ability to section off peoples' minds. In this case, he created a barrier, locking the wolves in. With you two, however, I have the opposite in mind. If we get rid of your human minds, I think that your wolves will be all too willing to take the risk to fight for what's theirs."

Brady was shaking. He had been a wolf for a handful of months. I was an Alpha and much larger, stronger, and experienced. Even if he might have speed, I think he knew he didn't have a shot and while I'd like to think he trusted me not to kill him, the same could not be said for my wolf. Victoria was right. I had grown extremely protective of Seth, and while some of that might be me, a large portion of it was clearly my wolf.

Before I could respond, I felt my voice being locked away. It was as if my consciousness was being trapped and I could feel it drifting backwards into my mind. I wasn't in control and I could see my wolf rising to the surface. Sure enough, I combusted immediately, returning to the large russet form that I had become so accustomed to. Unfortunately, as I felt my head turning to look at the smaller spotted wolf, I realized that I had no say in what my body was doing. He had completely taken control of my body and I could feel his rage. Victoria was right: nothing came before his mate.

Brady charged at me, no hesitation in his form. There was no communication between us. He was doing whatever it took to protect his imprint, even if it was a long shot that he'd be able to take me down.

My wolf met the threat head on, rolling as soon as contact was made. We began to tussle back and forth, jaws and claws reaching for whatever they could get hold of. While I knew that Victoria wasn't going to let Seth free, my wolf couldn't take the risk.

I felt a large patch of fur ripped from my underside, forcing me to back away from the wolf. I cringed in pain and whimpered a bit at the throbbing that filled my senses. Even if I wasn't in control, I still felt everything that was happening. Brady was agile, but he was already feeling the effects of going up against a larger, more powerful beast. There was a sluggishness in his joints and as he launched again, my wolf latched onto the scruff of his neck and slung him through the trees and into the woods. Pouncing after him, I quickly pinned him below me, latching onto his neck. I could see the resolve weakening in his eyes as the recognition that he had lost settled in. His eyes glazed over with a degree of acceptance that his life was over. The despair at failing his imprint was emanating from him and I was attempting to find some way to pull away from the boy. My wolf was hesitating though. As much as it needed to protect its mate, the pack bond still existed as well. These wolves had trusted it as their leader. Failing his wolves wasn't something that he could do.

The Alpha released Brady's wolf and stepped away from him. Brady maintained his submissive stance, but I could feel both his pain and mine. We wanted our mates back, but this wasn't the answer. I didn't understand when I suddenly felt my control rising back to the surface. Stepping back to the cliff, I took in the sight in front of me. It was obvious that Victoria had intended to settle things with Edward, but I watched as Bella stood between the two. An odd force was rippling from her, primarily being directed towards Riley. As a bubble formed around him, I found myself completely in control again. I watched in amazement as Edward was able to get to Victoria and wrench her arm from around Seth while she had been distracted. They began a battle at breakneck speed, all while Riley began to freak out. Obviously something that Bella was doing was neutralizing his powers and he nervously backed away from Collin as the small wolf exploded to replace his human form. What he didn't taken into account is that Seth had been left unattended. Before he could even turn around, my pup had latched onto his arm, quickly removing it. As he writhed on the ground in pain, Collin tore off another limb before Seth finished the job, ripping Riley's throat out. The leech was gone and Bella had already thrown a match to burn the remains.

The two wolves collapsed in exhaustion, but remained phased. I still couldn't hear anything from them, but I could finally feel that Seth was there. His wolf was completely worn down, but now that it was free, it wasn't ready to recede yet.

Although I was desperate to go to Seth, I turned my attention to the battle between the leeches. Bella had quickly joined in, but Victoria was a smart one. Edward couldn't predict what she'd do and she continued to evade them. I signaled for Brady to go to the other two while thinking of what I could do to trap her. She was preoccupied and knowing that her attention was on the other two, I slunk around to flank her. They continued to back her up, but I think Edward had caught on to my plan. He changed their angle slightly, backing her closer to me. As soon as she was close enough, I launched myself at her, hitting the redhead with all of my weight and catching her completely off guard. The other two quickly tore her legs off, causing her to scream in pain, but I wasn't playing games. Even with all of the heartache and pain she had caused, I wasn't one to torture and I had grown up watching villains toying with the heroes for too long and ultimately letting them get free. Even though I wasn't the villain here, I applied the lesson. I drove my head down into her throat, removing her head quickly and cleanly. Standing up, I allowed Edward to light her up and as I watched her smoldering remains, I realized that it was finally over. The hatred that had been driving me to go after her had finally been appeased. I could move on.

And I knew exactly where I wanted to move on to. I ran back to the cliff, marveling as I watched Brady taking care of both of the wolves there. He had pretty much corralled them together and placed his small form defensively between them and anything that could have come. I nudged him as I neared, working my way in to wrap myself around Seth's sandy form. Brady turned his full attention to nuzzling Collin as I began to lick the top of my pup's head. He tried to burrow his head into my fur, causing me to chuckle at his failed attempt to escape. Suddenly both of the exhausted wolves phased back, collapsing onto the ground. It wasn't half a second before Brady and I had joined them, wrapping ourselves protectively around their exposed forms.

Seth was sobbing against me. I held him tightly, letting him get it out of his system. I let a few tears escape as I held him, realizing just how much he meant to me. He and the others on the reservation were truly all that I had left.

I don't know how long we just sat there, but I felt myself tense up as the sound of an engine crept up on us. I was surprised to see Edward pulling up in a Jeep, but as I noticed the clouds covering the area, I realized that they could actually be seen in public today. Well, Edward at least could, as Bella's control was probably not as strong around mobs of people yet.

Brady and I carried our wolves and got in the back seat, continuing to keep them embraced. I let the thought that "it'd be a strange sight if anyone happened to notice the four naked guys chilling in the back of an SUV" cross my mind and Edward's chuckle seemed to confirm that he agreed. Still, it's not like we could have walked into town like this, but the line "it's not what it looks like" never seemed so true.

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**Seth's POV**

Jake carried me into a hotel room that Edward had directed us towards. Inside were a pair of double beds and a bathroom. Collin and Brady had curled up on one of the beds while Jake and I laid down on the other. Ed had gone into town to pick up some clothes and food for us while Bella went out to the woods, most likely to eat.

My imprint wrapped his arms tightly around me as I tried to press myself into him as much as possible. Being cut off from him was one of the worst feelings ever. When that leech had separated my wolf from my conscious brain, I lost everything that the wolf was to me. Namely, that meant I couldn't feel Jake anymore. After so long of being driven to be near him, the sudden absence left me feeling empty. It was like one of the most important pieces of my existence was gone. Coupling that with the fact that my wolf meant so much to me and I could barely force myself to stand at that point. If that's what it felt like to just be cut off from Jake, I couldn't imagine what would happen if he left me or...worse. There was no way that I'd be able to carry on.

After several minutes, Jake picked me up and carried me to the bathroom. He didn't ask if I wanted to clean up, but started running the shower while watching me. If the look in his eyes was anything, I probably still looked quite shaken. I definitely didn't feel calm yet.

The temperature set, Jake stood me up and helped me under the spray. The water was perfect and I felt the heat of it running over my muscles. Jake began to run his hands through my hair, apparently having lathered some shampoo while he stood behind me. It felt heavenly as he made sure that he didn't miss a spot. After massaging my scalp, he began to run a wash cloth along my body. The feeling of having him clean the dirt and grime off of me was euphoric, causing me to spring to life downstairs. I reddened as I felt his eyes lock onto it, but he didn't act as if he noticed what he was doing to me. I knew he thought I was too young, but dammit, I wanted my imprint to want me. I couldn't help but to feel extremely self-conscious that maybe I really wasn't attractive to him, despite the kiss he placed on my forehead as he let the water rinse off the suds.

I decided to take things into my own hands, pun intended. Returning the favor, I positioned him in front of me and filled my hands with shampoo. I was still able to run my hands through his hair, even though it was slightly awkward having to work above me. It was one of the many times I recognized just how much smaller my build was in comparison to the Alpha's.

Finished with the head, I picked up the small bar of hotel soap. Rather than using a cloth, I ran my hands along his back, working the lather into his tense muscles. I could feel him relax as I reached around him, massaging his broad chest. The groan that escaped his lips was enough to make me twitch, especially as I continued to feel my imprint in a more intimate way than ever before.

I continued to run my hand lower, ultimately finding that he was in the same state of arousal as I was as my hand bumped against his member. Wanting to show him that I wasn't some innocent kid, I wrapped my hand around him and began a slow stroking motion. My hand was still covered in soap and slid easily over him, running gently from base to tip. If the previous moan had been amazing to hear, I don't know how to describe the feeling of hearing my imprint stutter out my name.

Using my left hand to massage his chest, I picked up speed with my right. I pressed myself firmly against his broad back, connecting us as much as possible as I continued to provide as much pleasure to Jake as I could. I didn't have a great view of him, but I could tell by how I was holding him and how long it took to run along his entire length that he was huge. Sure we'd seen each other before when phasing, but not in any state of full arousal like this. It wasn't more than a minute or two before he was bucking against my hand. The feel of his pulsing in my hand as he released - combined with the throaty moan that escaped his lips - sent me over the edge without ever having touched myself. We both painted the shower floor before the water rinsed away the evidence. Jake sagged slightly in my arms as I held him under the spray.

Slowly, he turned around before brushing my bangs out of my eyes. Leaning down, he connected his lips with mine. This wasn't the passionate, loving kind of kiss that he normally led. This was hungry and lustful and I completely submitted as he thrust his tongue into my mouth. Although he hadn't done anything, he was showing me that he wanted me. My wolf purred at the thought.

We stepped out of the shower and dried off, each sporting a towel as we stepped out of the bathroom. Much to my horror, Brady was sitting on his bed, stifling his laughter as he looked over at us.

"You guys are jerks. Really? In the shower? I guess that eliminates that option for getting clean" he choked out before he continued laughing. My face reddened deeply, but Jake just wrapped his arms around me and guided me to under the covers of the other bed. I smirked as I heard Brady's exclamation of pain as Collin hit him repeatedly with a pillow. As embarrassing as that was, I knew that it was completely irrelevant as long as I had Jake. I curled up against his firm body and sighed deeply as I rested my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it began to steady. There was nothing better in life than holding your imprint close.

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_AN: Well, it looks like they can finally move on. Jake has finally avenged his family, as well as his imprint's. Hope you enjoyed the small piece of smut at the end. I'm gonna go ahead and call myself on something though. This came out a bit closer to what I did in "FML" than I originally planned, but it's how the chapter flowed. Sorry (to those of you that have read the other) if the differences didn't prevent the chapter from seeming dull. As always, I look forward to hearing from those of you who choose to review. I'm not sure when the next update will be ready. My Friday posting routine is a thing of the past, so updates will be whenever the chapters are finished. Thanks for reading!_


	8. Chapter 8

_AN: Hello everyone. This chapter is a bit more of a transition chapter. I think that everyone deserves a little bit of a cool down after the recent chaos. As always, thanks to everyone who reviewed the last one. Hope you enjoy the chapter!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

We were awoken from our dozing by the door opening as Edward returned. He threw sets of clothes to each of us before returning outside and grabbing armfuls of fast food. I typically tried to stay away from that much grease, but the idea of eating something that had been cooked was making my mouth water. He piled all of the food onto the small table in the room and beckoned for us to eat. I looked over to the other two and noticed that they had cleaned up at some point and couldn't help but snicker at Brady's previous reaction to what we'd done in there. Guess they found the need to enjoy a shower was more important than anything else. Brady caught my eye and I could see something shining in his expression. A quick wink told me that I didn't even want to ask.

We threw on the clothes that Ed had brought, all of which fit pretty well. Either the vampire was a good guesser or he'd read our minds. Still can't say that I loved his style choices though. Ultimately I didn't really care, but it was nice to seem somewhat normal. A handful of teenagers eating greasy food. That was something I never thought I'd experience again. The four of us dug into the burgers and fries, murmuring our thanks as we devoured everything quickly. It was delicious, but I'd have taken anything that wasn't a deer or some other wildlife at this point.

There was a knock on the door and Edward opened it immediately, welcoming Bella into the room. Her eyes were almost as golden as his, as I guess her human blood had mostly been replaced by what she had taken from animals. She wasn't alone, however, and I was surprised to see Sam and Leah burst into the room. Leah quickly embraced her brother, allowing for a rare moment of vulnerability as her tears escaped. They held each other closely as Sam checked in on the two pups before making his way over to me.

I was shocked as he pulled me into a strong hug. He held me for a while and I couldn't help but to return it. After the last few days, it was nice to feel the support of my Beta.

"Thank you for getting them back safely" he whispered in my ear.

"I'm just glad it all worked out." I replied as I hugged him tighter. This had been his pack for a lot longer than mine. He had grown up with all of these boys and had felt the Alpha's need to protect them. Even if he had turned over control, he'd always be connected to all of them in a way that none of the others would really be able to understand.

We finally released each other and I noticed Leah had picked up the hotel phone. She continued to be emotional as she spoke to her mom before passing the phone to Seth. After they talked for a few, the pups called their loved ones too and asked them to spread the news to the pack. After all of the chaos, they deserved the refreshing news that everyone had actually gotten out in one piece.

Now that everyone back home had been alerted, I explained to Sam and Leah what had happened. Both of them cringed at the mentioning of being offered the safety of their imprint as the reward for killing one of the others. They knew the drive to protect their soul mate, but I don't think that either wanted to picture themselves being responsible for the death of a pack member to do it. If it hadn't been for my wolf's feelings as Alpha, he might have been willing to actually finish Brady today.

Leah let out a giant yawn and I looked over at the other wolves. Brady and Collin had already started lounging on the bed again, clearly closing in on passing back out. Seth still looked exhausted so I told him to get a little bit of rest as well. He and Leah took up the second bed, her stroking his hair as if to tell herself that he was actually there. The bond between the siblings warmed my heart, as I knew that I'd never have to worry about him, even if I wasn't around. Of course, I would worry, but I at least knew that it wasn't as necessary.

I slipped out the door, planning to go take care of some errands. Edward threw me the keys to the Jeep, telling me to keep them. I looked at him in astonishment as I realized he had actually bought the thing, but he explained how money really meant nothing to them and that he wanted me to have it. He still felt guilty that we'd had to do all of this to help protect Bella and that Seth had been taken under his watch. Of course, if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have known where to go, but he shrugged me off. His parting words brought a smile to my face. "Let's be real here. Can you actually picture me driving something like a Jeep on a regular basis?" he asked, humor lacing his words. I didn't know him well, but an SUV seemed more like Emmett's car than Edward's.

I looked the Jeep over in a new way. Where he had gotten it was beyond me. I knew from a quick look that it was part of the Wrangler* series, and the wheels told me that it was far above the basic Sport line. It had a soft top, which although wouldn't be commonly useful with the rain in Washington, was still a nice option. The fact that they could just drop more than $35,000 on a whim was astonishing, but I was truly grateful. This would do everything I needed.

Sam let out a low whistle and I realized that he had followed me out. I probably had a huge grin as we both looked over the beautiful off-roader before I hopped in the driver seat. Even if he didn't like this for himself, Ed definitely had taste. The fact that it was a manual transmission was the best part. Sam got in and we drove for a while before I pulled over to the side of the road, the day's events crashing over me. I don't know how he knew, but having someone there who could understand was exactly what I needed.

"I was so close to killing Brady, Sam. I really thought that it was going to happen. I knew that Victoria was lying, but I couldn't control my wolf and stop the fight. How could I have even let it get that far? They shouldn't have ever been there in the first place!" I raged, slamming my fists into the steering wheel. Sam allowed me to get out all of my frustration before finally speaking.

"You did better than I ever could have Jake. Everything you did before they were taken was the right decision with what we knew." He began.

"But they were –" I started before being interrupted.

"Yes, they were taken. But what did you do? You followed your instincts and went after them, knowing it'd be a bad idea to have us there. Sure, you fought with Brady, but you and your wolf showed control. All of you made it out of here alive and you were able to kill the bloodsucker that's been tormenting us…and you. We don't always get the easy kill, but everything still worked out here. You've gotta look at this as the victory that it was." He concluded while resting a supporting hand on my shoulder. I took a few deep breaths before nodding, glad to have talked to him about this. Sam had an excellent way of putting things in perspective.

Calmed down, I put the Jeep back into gear and continued down the road. With the windows down, we enjoyed the cool breeze as the radio churned out the local rock station. It felt weird to be acting like a standard teenager, but I loved it.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Sam asked after we'd gone a few miles down the road. I realized that he had come because he knew he needed to, rather than because I had told him anything.

"Um…I'm going to my lawyer's office. I need to collect some things from him and then empty out a storage unit that has some things from…when I left." I said, trailing off at the end. Sam merely nodded and I was glad to have someone there. Although I was close to Seth, I definitely felt as if I could consider Sam my brother. He had taken me in and guided me through everything related to leading a pack. He understood things that Seth couldn't and provided the support that only someone who had similar experiences could. Don't get me wrong, I loved Seth, but having Sam in my life had become important as well.

After another few miles of driving, we arrived at the office. As soon as I walked through the door, the atmosphere changed. Everyone was aware of what had happened and I'm guessing that they didn't expect to see me again for a long while.

"Jacob, it's good to see you looking so well. I hope that you've found something positive in the last year" Ross, my lawyer, said as he pulled me into a hug. Sure, it might seem odd that this businessman would embrace a client, but he had been a good friend of my father's and had been the keystone that held me together at the beginning. We followed him into his office where he closed the door after receiving a nod that Sam could join us.

After catching up with things that the last year had brought (aside from the supernatural aspects of course), we talked through the finances of what my parents had left. He had successfully sold the house for well above what my parents had paid for it and auctioned off what I hadn't stored. The costs he had incurred were all taken out of what had been left, but I was startled by how high the number was. I had never asked about how much things were worth, but this was a lot more than I could have imagined them having.

Noticing my surprise, Ross spoke up. "Your parents never wanted you to have issues if anything were to happen. They were smart investors and they did everything they could to make sure that you'd be covered." He said warmly. My eyes began to well up as I nodded. When Ross asked if I'd like it cut into a check, I simply nodded, but made sure that he took a large commission out of the amount for himself. He tried to decline it, but I wouldn't take no for an answer, though I did let him negotiate it down to $15000. After all he'd done, it was the least I could do.

After one final embrace and countless well wishes from Ross, Sam and I left to go to the bank and deposit the funds. I chose one that I knew had a branch in Forks. To say that the accounts manager was ecstatic when he saw what I wanted to deposit would be an understatement. I put it all in Savings & Checking Accounts for now until I figured out what I needed to spend before really investing. He didn't have an issue with it at all.

All of that taken care of, we grabbed lunch at the diner that my parents and I had gone to regularly. He let me reminisce without comment, allowing me to truly talk about what it had been like before the chaos set in. It felt nice to listen to Sam talk about his family when asked, even if I could see he was hesitant to talk about the father that had abandoned him when he was a child. I still found out about what life had been like on the reservation growing up, what he hoped to accomplish, and his frustrations on normal human things. I had known that he was working as a mechanic, but I hadn't picked up on how much he hated his boss. The man charged outrageous prices to fix vehicles, and although Sam was great at it, he felt bad hurting the people so much. I filed that in mind for when we got back as something to discuss.

We went to the storage unit to take care of the final piece of what was holding me to this town. I talked to the clerk and told them that I'd be ending my lease of the space before walking down the air-conditioned hallway to where my stuff was. Fortunately it was close enough to a door to make the transport easy and the cool air kept things decent. I had known that a lot of this stuff needed to be stored in a climate-controlled area because of its age. I could only hope that some of my dad's historical items would prove useful to the tribe.

Loading the several boxes into the jeep, I looked everything over. Between the backseat and the very back of the vehicle, we had packed all that remained of my family's existence. It was disheartening to see it so compacted again, but I had told myself that it was time to move on. My parents would have hated me seeking revenge for so long, let alone carrying on in a similar manner after I had finally gotten it.

We headed off, Sam allowing me to think about things. It was another thing that he was great at. When silence was what was needed, he'd allow for it. It didn't have to be awkward like it was for some people.

We arrived back at the hotel after about 20 minutes and I immediately could feel the distress radiating from inside. Something had Seth upset and I cautiously slid the door open to find him pacing about. "Who knows where he is? Maybe he decided that now that he was home, he wouldn't want to come back! He had a life here. What if I'm not enough to interest him to leave!" he ranted to his sister, failing to notice that we had slipped into the room.

I slid behind the worried boy and wrapped my arms tightly around him. "But Seth, I'm not at home if I'm not with you" I whispered as he tensed up at the sudden entrapment. He blushed furiously as he turned around in my arms. I leaned down, kissing the tip of his nose, reddening him even further as I chuckled.

"Seth, I'm always going to love you. I don't know if it's just your self-consciousness or the imprint that makes you worried that you won't be enough, but I want you to know that you're my future. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather spend my life with." I murmured, allowing him to bury his head in the crook of my neck. Part of me hated how much he doubt he had in himself, but I couldn't help but to love how much he showed that I meant to him.

A moment later, Leah handed me an envelope that had my name written on it. I opened it up, finding a letter and another folded piece of paper. I chuckled as I read the note.

"_Hey Jake,_

_I know that you'll need to drive the Jeep back across the country. Since your backseat is going to be full, I also know that you'll only be able to have one other person with you. Didn't take being a mind-reader to figure out who you'd want to spend that time with. The sheet of paper is a confirmation for four flights tonight from Boston to Seattle for Collin, Brady, Leah, and Sam. Being able to figure out everyone's personal information really does come in handy sometimes._

_Until later dog,_

_-Edward"_

I was aware that I hadn't had much exposure to them, but I knew the pack had expressed a lot of hostility towards the vampire family. In my limited time around them, they actually seemed like a good lot. Ed had a good heart and I owed him for all the help he had given me in defeating Victoria. I wasn't saying this as a mooch either. Sure, I appreciated the vehicle, but it was his mentality that struck me as admirable. Even with his need to defend his own mate, he had felt guilt and obligation to help mine as well. He had freed Seth from Victoria's grasp and started the chain of events that allowed us to be free of her torment. He really was just a good guy.

I showed the others' their tickets and they were excited. Getting home was something everyone deserved. Leah seemed worried about leaving us to venture on our own, but I told her that we'd be fine and that would get there in a couple of days. I looked forward to spending some alone time with Seth, especially after everything that had happened. I really didn't want to let him out of my sight.

We lounged around before the four wolves prepared to take off in a taxi. Before leaving, Sam pulled me aside and handed me a small bag. I opened it up and blushed furiously, shocked that inside were a pack of condoms and small bottle of lube.

"Now, I'm not suggesting that you actually do anything like this, but I know that the temptation is there. You're a dominant and you have an imprint connection with someone. All that I ask is that if you do go that far, you use these. We're going to have to discuss things a little bit more when we get back, but I wanted to let you know that for both of your sakes, you need to be safe." He said, rubbing the back of his head. He obviously felt as awkward saying this as I was hearing it, but I nodded. There were pieces that were starting to make me wonder what they all knew. Sue had been vague about something, Leah had been spouting off at the other pack, and now this. It didn't add up, but I was too excited about taking a road trip with Seth to dwell on it for too long. As soon as they took off towards the airport, we checked out of the hotel and began our drive. It was time to begin the long journey home.

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_*Additional Disclaimer: Jeep and all associated trademarks belong to the Chrysler Group. The vehicle I'm envisioning for this is the Wrangler Unlimited Altitude. Not what I would buy if I had $35K laying around, but I could definitely drive it._

_AN: Decided to actually have some character interaction away from Jake/Seth (I know, I know. Everyone wanted to see the main pairing, but I couldn't help it). There are some things that I think the Beta's character are better suited for. Don't worry though, I've pretty much made it inevitable that the two will be spending some time together for the next one hehe. That said, I have no idea when that chapter will be posted. There's a chance that I'll have time within the next week to work on it, but maybe not. Looking forward to hearing from some of you. Thanks for reading!_


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: All right, it's time for the main pair to get some quality time together. Thanks to those of you who reviewed the last one. Always nice to hear from you. Hope that you all enjoy the latest chapter. I also feel like I should warn that this chapter is Rated M for Mature. Take that as you will hehe._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

Things were comfortable as we began driving. The sun was beginning to set and I glanced over and saw Seth watching my hand as I shifted through the gears. He caught me looking at him and blushed a little bit.

"I've never learned how to drive a stick" he mumbled, continuing to watch as I put the Jeep through her paces.

"I'd be happy to teach you. I'm sure that you've got what it takes." I responded, running my hand over the shifter. I still couldn't believe that this was mine.

I glanced over and watched him as he adjusted himself, his mind clearly in the gutter. I couldn't help but chuckle a bit, causing him to redden further, obviously remembering our time in the shower. I hadn't even meant that, but it was still amusing.

Seth wasn't the only one having issues. Ever since our little episode, my thoughts on the wolf had taken a turn. I had begun to notice all of the subtle things he did, all of which turned me on. Whether it was the way he chewed his cheek when he concentrated or how his hair fell lazily over his eyes, the wolf just had something about him that fascinated me. I was afraid of just how much I wanted him.

Growing up, I had never really been much into the physical aspects of relationships. Kissing was as far as I had ever gotten, and even that had seemed weird. Sure, I had been 14 the last time I had a girlfriend, but even then it felt off. That wasn't the case with Seth. Every time our lips met, I felt an energy coursing through them. Even when it was gentle, there was just something special about it.

I was pulled from my musings by my stomach growling, echoed closely by Seth's. We shared a laugh at our inner animals demanding some food and monitored the exits for something decent to eat. We'd been on the road for several hours and I was surprised to see how late it was. We stopped at a late-night diner, sitting across from each other while we munched on our burgers and fries. The talk was light and just as you'd expect from good friends. Of course, we were more than that, but it just showed how natural we were with each other.

After crossing the Pennsylvania border, we checked into a hotel. It was a small place, but the bed was clean. I relaxed on the mattress, allowing Seth to curl up beside me. He quickly fell asleep, his head on my shoulder and hand rested on my chest.

I was beginning to doze when his hand began to trail along my abs, eventually brushing past my nipple as he ran it over every inch of skin he could find. I could tell from his heartbeat that he was still asleep, but his gentle caresses caused me to harden instantly. I lay there, relishing in his touch. Occasionally he'd let out a soft whimper and I had to wonder what he was dreaming about. Images of me grabbing his lean hips and driving into him flashed across my mind, causing me to throb. I slid myself out from under him and walked into the bathroom, cutting on the cold shower.

As I sat under the spray, I couldn't help but to feel disturbed. I knew that I wanted the boy. There was no questioning it. He made me feel things that I'd never known and even the thought of claiming him fully was enough to make me react downstairs, despite the effects of the cold water spraying over me.

I don't know exactly why I was so bothered by my feelings. I had no problem with the fact that I was with a guy. Although the fleeting thought of whether my parents would have been upset had crossed my mind a time or two, I knew the answer. They had loved me, regardless of anything else. If I was happy, they would have been happy for me.

I think that it all truly revolved around fear. Seth was the only one who had ever made me feel complete. As much peace as I got from him, my wolf was feeling ravenous. In the past 24 hours, he had begun clawing at me to push forward with his mate. His desire scared me. What if I pushed Seth too far and he had no choice but to go along with it because of the imprint? I know that he wanted me in some ways, but at this rate I wasn't sure that I'd be able to stop myself if we really got into it. I didn't want to hurt him. Or just as bad, to taint him by pushing him against his will. I wanted Seth to be happy, not just go along with what the imprint made him and his wolf think would make me happy. Even if I knew he'd never show it, the idea of ruining what we had scared me beyond measure.

After calming down I went back to the bed, but put some distance between me and the sleeping pup. It was for his own good. If he kept tempting me – asleep or not – I might not be able to resist and I still wanted to take this slowly.

The next day there was a silence over us that we couldn't seem to shake. I was deep in thought about how to handle my growing urges. The thoughts that were persisting all revolved around one thing: making Seth truly mine. I couldn't focus on anything else and really didn't want him to know the effect he was having on me. We crossed several states with the only stops being to grab snacks and gas. Chat was limited and we allowed for the radio to fill the void. Unlike some of our silences, this one was far from comfortable. He didn't try to push me, but I think he knew that I was bothered about something.

We got to a resting place after we had been in Illinois for a while. I didn't know all that much about geography, but I could tell that we still had a few days of travel left. The attitude that had fallen upon us made this less pleasurable than I had hoped it'd be, but I knew that was my own fault. Better to make for a few rough days than do some kind of damage.

I flopped onto the bed, letting out a large sigh after 13 hours in the car. It'd been a long day on the road. Seth sat down timidly on the edge of the bed, clearly looking upset about something.

"I'm sorry" he mumbled.

"For what?" I replied. It hadn't occurred to me that my standoffish attitude must have made him think that he had done something wrong.

"I don't know. I'm guessing I pushed you too far back at the hotel. I just couldn't help myself. It's ok if you don't want me like that. I should have asked you before trying to push us to some kind of physical stage, but I thought that you'd have enjoyed it. I guess I'm not as good of an imprinter as the others. I'm sorry for making you feel bad." He said, a tear gliding down his cheek.

I was stunned by his words, but I guess I shouldn't have been. I'd been obviously bothered about something, but hadn't been willing to talk it over with him. I motioned for him to lie down beside me, knowing that I needed to come clean about this. He was beating himself up when he had done nothing wrong.

"Listen Seth, I'm sorry." I began gently silencing him when he tried to interrupt. "You have nothing to apologize for. I've been a jerk and haven't been willing to tell you why. It's not that I'm not interested in you like you are me. It's the fact that I want you so much that it scares me. I don't want to push you just because the imprint makes you want to please me. I want you, not just your wolf, to be ready. I love _you_ and the idea of not truly knowing what you want scares me. I'm just afraid of messing up and causing you to resent me and the imprint." I said, rolling him so that he was on my chest. He never broke eye contact throughout my rant, listening intently for any signs of deceit. I knew I couldn't lie to my wolf. I wouldn't want to either, especially not on something like this.

"Phase with me" he mumbled. I didn't argue with him. If he was making this request, he had a reason.

We got off the bed and moved what little furniture was in the room out of the way. It would be tight, but we could fit two wolves in here. Unfortunately we hadn't seen any woods in miles and the idea of giant wolves roaming the area was probably enough to scare the people that lived around here. I did not want to get shot.

I phased first, summoning my wolf to the surface. I could hear silence in the pack mind, making me optimistic that things had quieted down and people were actually getting to rest. They had definitely earned it.

Seth stood far enough away to explode into form without landing on top of me. He sprawled out on the floor and I joined him, rubbing my muzzle against his.

"I'm going to show you some things. Hopefully it'll sum up how I feel about you, but there are some other things to go into first." He said, waiting for my nod to continue. With my confirmation, the thoughts began to flow out of him.

The first images were surprising to say the least. Somehow I knew that the memory was about a year and a half old, but it didn't prevent my hackles from rising. I watched as Seth looked into Brady's eyes before slowly going in for a kiss. Seth explained that this is when he confirmed that he was gay. Brady had already come out to him, and Seth asked if he'd try something with him. The two kissed passionately and I could tell that it turned Seth on. Still, Brady put a stop to it before it went much further. He admitted that he had something for another of their friends, Collin, and that he didn't want to do anything before he got a chance to see if the other boy would be interested. Brady couldn't explain why there was such a draw to Collin, but he knew he needed to talk to him. Seth had felt hurt, as he really didn't know of any possibilities to actually have someone to be with, but he was there for the couple as Brady and Collin started talking and eventually going out. No one else knew about the relationship, but he was both of their support. He continued with how he came out to Jared, who had been nothing but supportive for the pup. They carried on as if nothing had changed and Seth was able to use that to announce his revelation to those he cared about, all of whom had taken it in stride.

Seth fast-forwarded to one of the darker times in his life. As he stood in a suit, his father was being lowered into the ground. The boy had just gone through his first phase and believed himself to be a monster, regardless of the purpose of the transformation. I felt the familiar bitterness about the leech that had taken his dad away from him, which didn't subside over the months that came next. Seth had been angry and depressed, but bottled it all up instead of lashing out. He watched as Leah imprinted on Embry and as his younger friends joined the pack and immediately confirmed that they were made for each other. They were all finding their happiness, but Seth was ready to give up on it all. Jared was too wrapped up in Kim to be much of an outlet and with his father gone, Seth felt like he had nobody left. Nobody really needed him anymore.

Then came the night of my arrival. Seth had felt antsy at Sam's and knew that there was something different when he picked up on my scent. Paul had gotten there first, but as soon as Seth laid eyes on me, he could sense something already pulling him towards me. I got to see what it was like when I met his eyes, finally completely understanding what it was like to have your entire world shift to focus on someone. I loved Seth and could never picture my life without him, but this was something completely different.

What was more, he saw me in a way that I couldn't see myself. He saw the Jake that had existed before the wolf. His mind paid no attention to all of my scars or my moodiness. It was as if he knew what I had been. When I ran, it felt like his heart was being ripped out. I had rejected him and after everything else, he truly had nothing to live for. That one made me whimper as I nudged him, but he continued on.

We moved on to a few nights later where I became Alpha and the conversation we had after helping Paul. I could feel the hope and fear building inside of Seth. Part of it was fear of what the imprint would lead to, but there was a lot more to it. Seth pretty much put all of his chances on this one bet. He hoped that I would be the one who could make him feel needed, loved, and wanted in ways that he hadn't had with anyone else. I felt his relief as I told him that I'd try and be what he wanted me to be. From there, the feelings continued to grow. There was the pain of what happened with Victoria and Riley, but that was quickly overpowered by the emotion he felt when he thought I had fled after he woke up to find me gone.

But then there was my return, which clearly held one key detail. I had been thinking it for a long while, but I discovered that that was the first time I had ever said that I loved him. Saying the word didn't particularly strike me as pivotal at the time, as it had just become a normal part of my feelings, but I didn't know just how important it was for him to hear it.

"I love you too, Jake" he thought as the images subsided and we found ourselves in the room again. "I didn't say it that day because I was feeling the emotional rollercoaster of everything that had happened, but I wanted to show you that _I_ love you. Obviously my wolf wants nothing more than to make you happy – and so do I – but the imprint isn't why. I've fallen in love with you Jake, and it's why I want you so badly. Part of the physical lust is my wolf wanting to finish the bond with you, but I also want to share my firsts with you" he finished, rubbing his snout into my neck.

Suddenly images of me slowly working my way into him filled my mind. It was sensual, loving, and pure, rather than the corruption that I envisioned. Seth wanted this, but he wasn't afraid of it like I was.

A growl erupted from my throat and we both phased back. Before he had a chance to react I had launched myself at him. I had been feeling this draw to him for a while now, but my fears had been hurting both of us. By how hungrily he attacked my lips, I knew he needed this too.

I picked him up and laid him on the bed, completely covering him with my body. Seth ran his hands over my abs, slightly squeezing my nipples as we continued to make out. The gasp that the move elicited allowed him to drive his tongue into my mouth, fully exploring it again. I closed my teeth on his tongue lightly, causing him to remove it suddenly. I smirked against his mouth as I began to trail down his body with kisses, smelling the arousal rolling off of him.

His hands roughly grabbed my hair as I took one of his nipples into my mouth, whimpering as I began to flick my tongue over it. Guess I wasn't the only one that was sensitive. I trailed down, enjoying the feel of his lithe muscles tensing below me every time I hit a sensitive spot. I finally got to the end goal.

I didn't hesitate before taking his head into my mouth. I had never done this, but I wanted to show Seth that I could be what he needed as well. I was rewarded with him screaming my name as I swirled my tongue around the sensitive mushroom. His back arched and I felt him push further into my mouth, causing me to back off a bit. I continued working though, getting him really close to the edge.

After a couple of minutes, Seth pulled me off of him. "I want you to take me." He said, blushing as the words came out. I nodded, walking over and grabbing the bag of lube and condoms from the cargo shorts that I had bought a few towns back. Squeezing some lube onto my fingers, I positioned one at Seth's hole. I pushed in tentatively, watching his face in case I thought I needed to stop. He seemed to take one in pretty well, but once I added a second, I could feel him tense up.

Seth nodded for me to continue, but I could tell that he wasn't really enjoying this. He had gone soft and as I worked my two fingers all the way in, he still had a grimace. I quickly took him into my mouth again, doing what I could to take his mind off of the invasion. I began slowly thrusting my fingers into him, curling them slightly until I heard him gasp out my name again.

"Now Jake. I need you now" he moaned out.

I quickly pulled my fingers out, cringing slightly at the squelching sound. That was just…weird. Seth watched as I ripped open a condom, rolling it down my length. He reached over and grabbed the lube, pouring it in his hand before he began to jack me off. Once I was coated, he spread his legs and I hovered over him, positioning my head at his entrance. Slowly pushing in, I felt his warmth begin to surround me. He was moaning, but I felt him tense up as I got to the halfway mark. I moved one of my hands between us, slowly stroking him until he relaxed. After that, I was able to come to a rest as my balls rested firmly against him.

I gave him time to adjust and began to slowly move in and out of him. He ground his hips against me as I began to go deeper with each stride. I was in full control, however, maintaining a steady pace and focusing on his needs. He had locked his legs behind me in order to pull me deeper, but the pace was slow. I had seen how he envisioned it. I wanted to make love to him, not just fuck him.

"Go harder!" he demanded, seeming to sense my hesitation. With that, I began to pull out faster and almost slamming back into him. His eyes seemed to roll back with each hit as he moaned out my name. I realized that I must have found his prostate and made it my mission to hit it on every stroke.

Suddenly I felt him tensing up below me and I watched his face as the bliss of orgasm came over him. I felt his warm seed spilling between our stomachs, covering both of us. That feeling – as well as his ass clenching at me as I continued to drive into him – was all it took to send me over the edge. In what was by far the most intense orgasm I'd ever felt, I filled the condom as my entire body shook before collapsing on top of Seth.

I slowly pulled out of him, removing the rubber and walking over to the toilet. After rinsing my stomach off, I grabbed a washcloth and waited for the water to get warm before walking back over to Seth. He moaned in appreciation as I cleaned the stickiness off of his chest and still semi-hard cock.

That taken care of, I made my way back to the bed, laying down and pulling Seth on top of me. As our eyes met, I felt the shift taking place. Just as I had claimed Seth, my wolf was fully claiming him as his mate. My entire world shifted as I saw nothing but Seth. Nothing but his happiness and protection was important. My wolf was committing to never mate with another, just as Seth's wolf had tied itself to me before. We were forever one.

I was stirred from my shock by a light kiss on my neck. "Welcome back" he said chuckling.

"Seth…I…I just imprinted on you" I managed to get out, writhing as he continued to kiss my neck.

As the words registered, he pulled back, a concerned look on his face. "Are you ok with that?" He asked worriedly.

"I wouldn't want it any other way. You're mine just as much as I'm yours. I'd have been fine just being your imprint, but I'm ecstatic to have this connection with you too." I said as a smile took over my face. Seth's face formed a grin to match and he slowly lowered himself back onto me, resting his head on my chest.

"I love you, Jake" he murmured against me as I placed a kiss in his hair. I felt pure euphoria run through me. Now I understood just how much those words meant to him.

"I love you too, Seth." I mumbled as both of our heartbeats calmed and we allowed sleep to take over our tired bodies. I knew it wouldn't always be perfect, but I was ready to move forward and build my life around the boy that was curled up on top of me.

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_AN: Been a long while since I wrote a lemon. I hope that it was decent, as I still find those to be one of the more difficult things to write. As always, I appreciate any reviews that you choose to leave. Also, I expect that it'll be a while before I get to write again. Entering a really hectic period, so it could be a bit before I have time to continue this (maybe 2 weeks or so, if not a more significant time period). Thanks for reading!_


	10. Chapter 10

_AN: Well, I found some time to write after a chaotic week, and decided to get this one out. Have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed in how much reviews have gone down recently, but I appreciate those of you that took the time to leave feedback. I guess not even a lemon was enough to spark interest haha. C'est la vie though. Hope you enjoy this one! _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

The last couple days of the trip were light-hearted. We had slowed down a bit, enjoying our time rather than turning the journey into a chore. I had talked to Sam, who had run a couple of patrols by himself, but let the guys rest. Everything was calm for the time being, so he didn't worry about the fact that things were slightly vulnerable. We also had the benefit of knowing that Edward and company were watching their side of the line and would let us know if they sensed anything big coming our way. I'd even gotten to teach Seth a little bit about using a manual transmission. He grinded the gears a little bit, but he'd gotten pretty good at it. I'd even been able to take a nap as he drove for an hour. My wolf was a quick learner.

Without the weight of my fears holding me down, the atmosphere was exactly what I had hoped it would be when we started the road trip. Seth and I chatted casually. Sometimes it was serious, but other times the actual topics didn't count for much. Even during the latter situations, everything he said seemed like the most important thing in the world. I had already loved him, but this imprinting was serious business. I would never get tired of hearing him talk, even if it was about random music that we heard on the radio. If he liked it, I wanted to know about it.

The miles and hours went by and we finally found ourselves in Washington. It was obvious that we were in the region as the heavy rain was pouring down, exactly as I'd come to expect from home. Home. I wasn't sure I'd ever have one of those again, but I couldn't think of anywhere else it would be now. I loved my family, but they would have wanted me to find happiness. My pack and my soul mate had definitely allowed me to achieve that.

I was looking forward to a warm welcome when we finally arrived back. I knew that the pups' families had been ecstatic with their return and I was looking forward to being able to deliver Seth to his mother again. Not trying to brag, but the Alpha in me felt extremely satisfied that we'd been able to get everyone out of this mess in one piece. On top of all that, I really was ready to sleep in my comfortable bed again. I could only hope that I'd still be able to stay with Seth at night once we got back. Sleeping alone seemed like it would be torture after having him curled up in my arms every night and I wanted to be with him somewhere that wasn't a hotel. It wasn't even about the sex, which we repeated every time we stopped for "rest." As much as I loved being physical with Seth, holding him was a different type of satisfying that I simply couldn't get enough of.

We never made it to La Push, however. I had seen a glimmer of something running alongside us, but assumed it was the rain and lights playing tricks on me after such a long drive. Suddenly I slammed on the brakes, causing Seth to wake from his light slumber. In the center of our lane stood a silver wolf that I could immediately identify as Paul. I successfully stopped the Jeep, but I could already hear his growls and his hackles being raised alerted me that something was wrong.

"Seth, I need you to get to Sam's. Tell him that something is wrong, but try to avoid phasing if you can. Paul is distressed and I'm going to try and talk him down, but he's not going to want anyone else in his mind." I told him. Seth nodded, knowing that I could handle myself, one way or another. I hopped out and Seth scooted over, swerving around the wolf and finishing the drive to the reservation.

I phased without another thought, immediately being hit by Paul – both mentally and physically. He knocked us into the woods as I began to see what had gotten him so worked up. The memories that played through my mind were sickeningly familiar.

Paul had been sitting around at Jared's when the police knocked on the door. Paul quickly wondered if he had actually done something to get arrested recently, but was pretty sure he'd been clean. Life had been a lot more pleasant recently and he hadn't even felt the need to lash out with violence. When the officer asked him to sit down, he knew that something bad had happened. Apparently his father had gotten drunk to the point that could only be described as wasted. His mother had tried to stop the man from doing anything stupid, but he backhanded her and threw her into the backseat of the car when she tried to take the keys. As he was driving, he had sideswiped a car before overcompensating and veering off of a bridge. Long story short, Paul's parents were dead.

"It's all your fault! If you had just let me be, I would have been there! I could have stopped him and then I'd still have parents! But no, you had to meddle in something that wasn't your business. Because of you, I have no one left!" he said as we circled each other. He lunged at me, but I shifted just enough to miss the hit.

"Paul, listen to me. I'm sorry your parents died, but this was out of our hands! You needed to be taken out of there, and if you look inside yourself, you know that I'm right. I know this hurts – you know I do – but you can't blame anyone other than your father. Don't do this! You know that we're here for you!" I cried, trying to talk some sense into the wolf. I'd even thrown in the attempt at a command, but he wasn't listening at all.

I already knew what was going on inside his head. On the surface, there was anger, and as much as he was trying to direct at me, I could tell that it was really meant for his father. The man had taken his mother and Paul hadn't been there to stop him. I felt bad for the order, but I couldn't let one of my wolves stay under a roof of abuse. I hadn't thought about the fact that his mother might take the brunt of it with Paul gone and I immediately wished I had done something about the man. It was too late now, but I had to protect Paul. He was going to continue to come after me, but he knew that he couldn't kill me. I was stronger, faster, and more experienced. Paul was well aware of all of this, but he was seeking his release. I wasn't a fool: he was going to try to make me kill him in self-defense.

That being said, Paul was an excellent fighter. I knew that if I didn't give this my all, he very well could defeat me, at least when he was worked up and going full throttle. That being said, I really didn't want to hurt him. He was unstable and all I wanted to do was to calm him down and be there for him. The fact that I was having to fight yet another one of my pack just seemed wrong on so many levels. I just wanted to be a good Alpha for these guys.

Paul launched himself at me, his teeth coming very close to my neck before I managed to get out of the way. I threw all of my weight into him, slamming him down to the ground. He still had enough strength to push me off, but he was left panting as he charged again. Paul wasn't communicating at this point, allowing blind rage to push him through any pain he was feeling.

After he landed a gash along my back, I knew I couldn't afford to play anymore. Although I cared deeply for the wolf, I couldn't allow him to take me away from Seth. I was trying to slow him down, but he had successfully evaded any of my dehabilitating attacks. If I could simply incapacitate him, I could show him some reason. In the meantime I got some good slashes in, hoping that I could at least weaken him enough to force him to submit.

As I came close to locking my jaw around his throat, I hesitated. I had no idea if he would intentionally rip his neck from me, ending his own life. I didn't want to give him the opportunity to make a decision that would hurt all of us. He sensed my hesitation and kicked my legs out from under me before rolling over and crouching again.

"Quit holding back!" he roared as we began another round. He knew that I didn't want to do it. This was the old Paul all over again. He was lashing out because once again, he got the short end of the stick. The difference was that I could still sense his pain underneath it all. He couldn't hide from me.

I prepared myself for his next assault, lowering myself to the ground as he leaped again. This time I raised up instead of dodging, launching him through the air. He broke through out of the forest, landing with a sickening thud on the pavement. He phased back to human, attempting to stand wearily, but not being able to manage more than a crouch. He was beaten, but hopefully I hadn't done too much to him.

That's when I heard the horn. As if it were in slow motion, I watched as the orange truck came barreling in, not having any hope of stopping on the slicked roads. Paul glanced up, but I could tell he wasn't going to be able to push himself out of the way. He had a petrified look on his face, the proverbial "deer in the headlights" concept coming into play. Without another thought, I threw myself forward, knocking Paul out of the road before he could be flattened in his weakened human form. I wasn't so lucky.

The truck hit me at almost full speed, its metal frame and body crumpling at the sudden impact. I could hear the vehicle caving in, the hood pushing in against the engine. The combination of shattering glass, screeching tires, and impact triggered a dark sense of familiarity. Who knows how bad it would have been if it'd been one of the newer, more plastic looking cars. Might have been better for me, but not for the driver.

Unfortunately, if that's what happened to the car, I'm sure you can guess what happened to my body. I felt most of my bones being crushed, on one side by the truck, the other because of the pavement that I hit once the truck finally got stopped. I involuntarily phased back, no longer able to see clearly. Everything was hazy and red as the blood flowed from what I guessed to be a large gash going down my head, but I could hear voices as if they were in a far off place.

"Oh God, No! Jake, I'm sorry!" Paul was screaming.

"He was an animal! What's going on! I hit a person!? We need to call an ambulance!" the driver was exclaiming before Paul's voice cut in again.

"No, Chief Swan. We can't. I'll explain later, but there's only one person who can help" Paul rattled off. I could only assume that he meant our resident vampire doctor. As I began to feel heavy, I wondered if he'd even be able to help if I was taken there. I couldn't feel anything but pain and I wasn't enough of a fool to think that it was nothing.

Suddenly I heard another vehicle screech to a halt and my eyes fluttered open on their own accord. As the blood slowly pooled on the pavement, I got to take in one last look at my Seth. I felt the pressure of his arms around me, but I felt no warmth. The rain was soaking deep into my skin, and for the first time in over a year, I didn't feel overheated. I felt...well, it was similar to what Seth felt like when I found him in the woods. My vision focused one more time on my beautiful wolf. He was saying something as his tears mixed with the rain, but I couldn't hear anything at this point. I could feel myself being lifted up, but the darkness took over. The Alpha in me hoped that Paul would be able to move on from this. The rest of me just wanted to be able to hold my imprint again. Then, there was nothing.

* * *

_AN: I do enjoy a cliffhanger. It's just a fun thing to throw in every once in a while. Once again, I'll put in the disclaimer that I have no idea when the next chapter will be ready. This one was a short one, but it covered everything I intended it to. I guess the real question is if I want to carry on with the plot line I intended for the fic or cut it short and occupy myself with things outside of writing. I guess we'll see, as it could go either way. Thanks for reading!_


	11. Chapter 11

_AN: Well, it took me some time, but I finally figured out which direction to go at this crossroad. Thank you for those of you who chose to review the last chapter. I do enjoy hearing your feedback. As you may expect, this chapter will be told from a different POV. I'll also warn that there are some...less than pleasant concepts discussed. All right, time to roll on with the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Sam's POV**

I had seen a lot of things in my time, but nothing, and I mean nothing, compared to what was in front of me. The chaos began as my truck skidded to a stop, Seth immediately jumping out into the rain with his imprint. An older model truck that I could recognize as Chief Swan's off-duty vehicle was totaled, smoke pouring from its destroyed engine. He looked rattled, which made me wonder what he had seen, but that was far from the worst part.

No, the most important thing here was how badly my Alpha was injured. Seth was running his hand through Jake's hair, already covered in blood. Between the pool that was being washed away by the rain and what was freshly coming out of several gashes and what I could guess was a major wound on his head, I could tell that we were already close to losing him. Bruises had already formed across most of his body and it was clear that several – if not most – of his bones were broken in some manner. The boy below me was in horrendous shape.

Snapping out of my stupor, I quickly dialed Carlisle's number. He answered without hesitation, knowing that any call that I would be sending him had to be urgent. I explained the situation and it wasn't a few seconds later that he was standing beside us, several bags of blood in his hands and everything he needed to start pumping it into our brother. Charlie looked astonished, but our secrets were the least of my worries. His daughter was one of them now, so maybe it'd be easier for him to know the truth.

Carlisle attached the needle into Jake's battered arm, finding a spot that would actually allow the blood to cycle through his body. He then proceeded to empty a couple of bags, but I couldn't tell if it was staying in Jake or joining his original blood on the pavement. Still, he was at least doing something, which is more than I could say for myself.

After several minutes, Carlisle had a very distraught-looking Seth and Paul carefully lift Jake up, placing him in the backseat of my truck. He was still a mess, but he needed to be taken out of the cold rain. I was able to crank some heat on him to try and stabilize his temperature as Seth wrapped himself around his imprint. Paul hopped in the back of the truck with Charlie getting in the passenger side, ignoring his truck and refraining from asking questions for the time being.

With that, we took off towards the Cullens' house. Carlisle had left immediately to prepare his operating room for us and we were fortunate that we were only a handful of miles away from their place. I slid into the driveway, finding myself surrounded by the family as Emmett and Jasper opened the doors and carefully took Jake's broken form in. They were completely ignoring the fact that his blood was everywhere and I was grateful that they were able to control themselves in order to help us. Bella was shocked to see her father, but ushered him into an upstairs room while we all ran in to see if we could help Jake. She had a very large belly that I'm sure Charlie had noticed as well. That'd be something to discuss at a later time and I noticed Edward nod his head at me. She had looked normal a couple of days ago. If that was what I thought it was, it was progressing much faster than it should, but I'd never heard of vampire births. And if she had been pregnant when she was turned…what would the child be? I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind as we dealt with more pressing issues.

The doctor had already hooked Jake up to several machines, both to monitor his vitals and continue to give him blood, fluids, and hopefully pain killers. The beeps indicating his pulse were far from how frequent they should be and every time a few seconds would pass without one, I worried that the tone might go solid. It was unnerving to say the least. I could also see that there was a pump running to an oxygen mask. Jake was literally being supported by machines and I shuddered as I heard Seth's whimpering at the sight.

Carlisle beckoned me over to join the Cullen males. I knew what need to be done, so I asked Jasper to try and do something to help Seth get through this. The imprint connection wouldn't make this pleasant for him, even if he didn't feel every bone being reset. Jasper nodded and joined the pup, who was already being held onto by Paul.

Jake lurched as the first bone was snapped over again, thrashing against the machines. Our healing had its detriments as well. We needed to reseat everything so that he would actually be able to move after this…assuming he survived. I held onto his upper body to prevent him from hurting himself even more, both saddened and relieved as he successfully knocked himself out after breaking free of my grasp. I glanced over at Seth and saw that he was crying against Paul, but Jasper had been able to prevent hysterics. I had been a little worried that his connection might cause him to come after us for hurting his imprint. That was the last thing that we needed to add on to this.

We finished the extremely upsetting process of placing Jake's bones in the right position before Carlisle began running scans. The fact that the doctor was biting his lip was worrying and I quietly asked him what he thought. Apparently Jake had given himself a concussion and combined with the swelling he already had in his head, Carlisle had no idea if there would be lasting damage. I immediately felt useless for having let him break free, but he had all of the strength of an Alpha, even if he was banged up. I silently prayed that he would come out of it ok.

The Cullens left the room, most of them needing to hunt after all of the blood they'd endured. Carlisle wasn't willing to leave, but he had a lot more control than his kids. Ed had promised to bring him back something though. These vampires were a true family, always looking out for each other, as well as being good Samaritans and helping us. The fact that we had been at odds with them just because of something they had no control over, especially when they had gone against their instincts to make themselves less monstrous, shamed me. I would never let my prejudices get the better of me again.

As we sat there, the sounds of the machines filled the air. It was Paul who finally broke the silence that had formed between us.

"This is all my fault. I'm so sorry, Seth. I was a coward and thought that this would turn out to be the easy way out. I didn't mean to drag you all into this." He whispered.

"Why, Paul? What did you two have to fight over?" Seth pleaded, seeking understanding of how things had come to be.

"My parents died two nights ago. My father was drunk and crashed his car with my mother inside." He began.

"I'm sorry Paul…" Seth and I responded simultaneously, shocked by the news.

"The night I submitted to our new Alpha, Jake ordered me out of my parents' house." He continued, getting a gasp from both of us. "It's not what you think though. He was trying to protect me, and if I had any sense, I'd have never come after him. I knew what he did was right, but I just wanted someone to blame. Honestly, I was pretty sure that I'd lost everything and had a feeling if I angered him enough, he'd do what he had to in order to protect himself. I didn't think that he'd be the one that got hurt…" Paul trailed off.

"But why would he order you out of your home?" I questioned, not putting things together.

Paul was silent for a long while before answering my question. "My dad has been an alcoholic for years. Since I was 12, he's taken out most of his anger on me. I saw him going after mom and decided to step between them. Since then, I've taken the brunt of things. He's broken several of my ribs and an arm, all to go along with an endless supply of bruises. At the time I just figured it'd be easier for everyone to think I got in fights a lot. I'd walk in with a foul attitude and my newest collection of injuries and people would keep their distance. Jared always tried to keep an eye on me, but he never really knew the truth."

"I didn't want anyone to know. Once I became a wolf, it was easier to hide. He could beat me, but the wounds would heal quickly. Dad knew what I was and seemed to resent that he hadn't gotten the activated gene, adding the fact to the list of issues he had with his life. He had long since figured out that I wasn't willing to stop him, so he tried to push the envelope on how much of his anger he could vent at me. Between all the slurs about how I was an accident and a huge mistake and having just gotten used to his punishment, I took whatever he delved out. I figured that it was better me than my mom, as she'd never be able to take this."

"A week before Jake showed up, my dad finally lost it…well more so than before I guess. Mom had gotten angry and gone to spend a few days at her sister's. Dad caught me as I came in from patrol, shattering a liquor bottle across my head. He finished up by shoving a jagged piece of it into my chest and spat on me as he went to drink some more. I lay there wondering if I'd actually make it out of this one, but fortunately my wolf was resilient and once I got the glass out, he was able to heal." Paul continued on, tears brimming in his eyes.

"Jake saw everything the night he initiated me into the pack. It was just us and I didn't have my barriers up, so they flowed right to him as we made the connection. That night he instructed me to stay with someone else, which inevitably meant Jared. The Camerons have always been the kind home that I never had and they never questioned it. Life has actually been pretty good since then. I was treated like a son and never felt any form of reluctance from them. I just let my emotions take over today. I know it wasn't Jake's fault, but I needed to blame someone since I couldn't blame the bastard himself. I'm so sorry, Seth. Your imprint is in this position because I was being ridiculous…" he trailed off. Seth immediately pulled him into a hug. I knew that he was still in pain because of Jake, but he was a compassionate kid. He cared about Paul, especially knowing what it was like to have lost a parent.

I couldn't speak. How could I have been so blind? I had always thought Paul was just angry, but I'd never fought to try and see what he was blocking from us in the pack. Hell, even as a human I should have known something was wrong. Even though he was always beaten up, I never had seen him actually get in a fight with anyone. Most kept their distance just because of his attitude.

After Seth released him, I wrapped my arms around Paul. "I hope you'll forgive me, Paul" I whispered against him, pulling him closer.

He pulled back startled. "For what?" he asked with a slight panic.

It took me a moment to realize that he might have thought I was going to punish him. Instead I embraced him again. "I failed you. I was a bad friend and a bad Alpha. If I had been worth anything I'd have seen that you needed help, but I was never looking. Don't try to say that you were covering it up because I still knew that something was bothering you and I never chose to ask. I'm sorry for never being there for you." I said with as much strength as I had.

"I don't think you need to ask for forgiveness, but I don't hold anything against you. If the words help, I forgive you, but I don't think it's necessary." He responded.

We allowed a silence to fill the room again, huddling together just to feel the closeness of being around pack. We had all been through a lot.

After a few hours the beeps began to pick up in pace, getting to the point that they were well above normal resting rate. Carlisle was in the room instantly, pulling out the tube before Jake could struggle against it. Our friend was already coughing, indicating that he had come out of his short term unconsciousness.

Seth was immediately over top of his imprint, planting a kiss on his lips and refraining from hugging him tightly like I'm sure he wanted to. Even if the healing had begun, Jake was going to be sore for a while.

The wolf tensed and looked up at Seth questioningly before glancing at all of us. "Who are you?" he asked, the words ringing through the room.

* * *

_AN: Some of you may not believe it, but I was truly considering killing him off this chapter. Decided to push forward with some other ideas instead, as I'm not ready to end this story yet hehe. Hopefully it won't be too long before the next one is out, but as always, I can't guarantee how long it will take due to real life restrictions. Hope you enjoyed and as always, I hope to hear from you. Thanks for reading!_


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: What kind of jerk does back to back cliffhanger-esque chapters? Oh wait...my bad. Thank you everyone who's been following this story. I appreciate your favorites & alerts and am especially thankful for those of you who choose to review. It's great hearing from you. All right, time to get on with this story. Hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

After the doctor ran some more tests, he and the biggest of the trio ushered the other pair out. I felt nervous around the two men before me. The doctor was just…unnerving and the other guy simply emanated authority. You could tell that they were both important people.

"Jake, we need to talk to you." The big guy said.

"Sure, but how do you know my name?" I asked. I couldn't for the life of me identify the man.

"Before we go into that Jacob, why don't you tell us everything you remember? What is your life like?" the doctor inquired. I didn't understand what he was going for, but I felt like I might as well answer his question.

"My name is Jacob Black and I live with my parents. We live a quiet life, but it's pleasant and I send most of my time hanging out with my friends. I'm 16 and from Massachusetts. Is there anything else you want to know?" I asked, marveling at the sound of my own voice. It seemed to have gotten a lot deeper.

"Jake…" the darker one started before looking at the doctor for confirmation. "There's so much that you've forgotten. Your…your parents were killed in a car wreck over a year ago. You've spent the last several months living on the reservation where they came from. You were hit by a car and seem to have not recovered the last 18 months or so of memory." He said softly. The fact that he thought he could tell such a cruel joke with a straight face made me angry. How dare he come up with something like this?

"Listen up _sir_" I sneered.

"Sam" he interjected.

"Well then _Sam_, you can go to hell. You think you're funny just making up some story like this? I don't know what you're trying to accomplish with this, but it's over." I yelled, fighting my way out of the machines that were connected to me. The doctor quickly made his way over and disconnected them safely, but pinned me down with a strong grasp.

"Jacob, listen to yourself. Do you hear the 16 year old you? Look in a mirror. What do you see? Think about this for a minute." Sam ordered, bringing me a hand mirror to finally get a look at myself.

It was definitely a shock. My body was much more muscular than it should have been. It was covered in scars and bruises, looking nothing like what I remembered. My face…just looked aged. It was missing the youthful carefree look that I had always had. The person in the mirror wasn't who I remembered. And that's when it hit me.

"They're really gone, aren't they?" I whispered. Sam's nod was all it took for the tears to flow, just as the door burst open and the small one of the group – who had felt the need to kiss me when I woke up – was by my side in an instant. He pulled my head into his neck and I couldn't help but to feel some comfort as I let out my anguish.

After a while, I felt myself being laid back down onto the bed. I dozed off between the weight of the day's revelations and the drugs that the doctor had resumed pumping through my system. I couldn't believe that I had forgotten such a long period of time. It was actually really cruel. I had obviously already dealt with the loss of my parents, but to have to relive the shock of it again? Fate was a bitch.

* * *

**Seth's POV**

"What's wrong with him?" I practically whimpered once we got out of his room.

"Well Seth, I'm honestly not sure. He seems to have lost all memories since his first phase. I've got a guess, but I haven't seen enough of your kind to know for sure." Carlisle responded

"Will you just tell us, please?" Paul pleaded. I know that he felt the guilt of being a part in this.

"Well, it seems to all be down to his wolf. As you know, you're all extremely connected to that side of yourselves. Jake's memories stop before he truly got in touch with his. Obviously your healing, along with your other strengths, all came from that part of you. There's a chance that the wolf is creating a disconnect from itself and its memories in order to focus its energy on healing Jake as quickly as possible. If that's the case, once it's done, things will hopefully return to normal. But remember, that's just a guess." The doctor finished.

"So…there's a chance that it could be permanent?" I asked, realizing how much of this was really unknown.

"Sadly there is a chance. Sometimes it takes days for patients to recover memories after damage is done. There are some that never do, however you have to hold out hope that his healing will pull him through this. Even if things seem dire, keep in mind that he's still running your temperature and well…he still has the scent of a shifter." Carlisle finished.

I let out a small sigh of relief. I know that it was probably foolish to be optimistic, but it was in my nature. Jake was strong. There was no way he wouldn't walk away from this with enough time.

"That said, I think it's best to keep him out of the supernatural world. If he needs this time to recover, we'll need to give it to him. If he finds out about phasing, he may try it again, and if that happens his healing process might be interrupted." The doctor explained. We all nodded, but it hurt to know I wouldn't be able to explain things. He had had a girlfriend when he was younger. How could I possibly explain that we were meant to be together? I'm sure I'd startled him with my kiss, but I thought he was fine. Why did things have to always be so complicated?

* * *

**Jake's POV**

After a couple of days and several more tests, they finally let me leave. Sam had said that they were taking me home, but I honestly didn't know what that meant anymore. Apparently I had been living with them for the past several months. I had never thought of home as any place that wasn't with my parents, but I had slowly come to terms that they weren't going to be waiting for me.

As we drove in Sam's truck, I watched the snow covered terrain. Snow was something I knew. I had always liked it and growing up in the New England area had meant plenty of it in the winter. At least some things didn't change when you were on the other side of the country.

We pulled into the reservation, which was a stark contrast to the glass home that belonged to the doctor. I still hadn't figured out why I was there instead of a hospital, but decided not to question it too much. After everything they had said, it was the least of my worries. Still, the smaller, simpler houses just felt more natural to me.

Upon arriving at Sam's place, we were greeted by a large group of people. I didn't recognize many of them, the exceptions being Seth and Paul who's names I had picked up at the doctor's place. I looked at them all confusedly before being led away to the kitchen by Sam. He left me with a beautiful woman that he addressed as Emily before going back to speak with the others. As she pulled me into a soft embrace, I couldn't help but to listen in to Sam's voice.

"Listen guys…I know you all want to talk to him, but we can't overwhelm him right now. He doesn't remember anything of the past year and a half, so try to let him have his space. I'll explain Carlisle's hypothesis later. For now, stick to schedule and make sure everything is good. I'll be covering his portion of the shifts for the time being." He said with a certain command about him. I didn't know what they had on the schedule, but most of them took off at that point, leaving Seth behind in the house. I could hear the two talking quietly before coming into the room.

"What's for dinner, Em?" Seth asked, a broad grin forming across his face. Something was off though. The smile just seemed…forced.

Conversation went on during dinner, but I remained quiet. They talked about different people, recent events, and a myriad of other things that I found myself drowning out. I wasn't trying to be rude, but I had a lot of things to think through.

"Do you want me to show you your room, Jake?" I heard Seth ask, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, sure." I mumbled. "Thanks for dinner. It was great" I finished as I followed the smaller boy out of the room.

He showed me to a nice-sized bedroom, standing quietly as I took in the sight. Several pictures donned the dresser, among other basic decorations. One thing caught my eye immediately: a family picture with me and my parents.

"I pulled that out from one of the boxes. I figured you'd want it out" he mumbled.

I was speechless. He obviously knew about my past, and glancing at some pictures of us together, I could tell that he was obviously important to me. It was so frustrating not being able to put things together.

He turned to leave the room and I caught a flash of pain going through his eyes as a tear ran down his cheek. I grabbed him by the arm to stop him, forcing him back in and closing the door.

"What were we?" I asked softly, running my thumb under his eyes to dry them as we sat on the edge of the bed.

"We're…well, we were dating before all of this happened." He said sadly. I hadn't really expected that one. I had been dating a guy? I wasn't really bothered by it, but I can't say I expected it. I knew that I had had a girlfriend back home.

"Is that why you kissed me when I woke up?" I inquired, remembering my first few minutes awake at the doctor's house. I received only a nod in response.

We sat in silence as I let that information sink in. He finally got up and made his way towards the door and I realized that I really didn't want him to go.

"Will you stay?" I asked quietly. I know I couldn't remember the fact that we'd been dating, but I knew without a doubt that he wasn't lying. I felt something when I was near him. When I had first found out about my parents having died years ago, it hadn't felt wrong to seek comfort from him.

"You don't have to feel pressured to keep me around. I know that this is hard for you." He said, giving me the out if I wanted it.

"No…it's not that. I want you to. I can't really explain it, but I feel right when you're here. I'd like to have you stay, but you don't have to if you'd prefer to leave." I responded, not wanting to pressure him. His grin lit up and for the first time, it looked genuine.

"Sure, give me a minute to call my mom and talk to Sam." He said, stepping out of the room quickly. Less than 15 minutes later, he was back in my room, the door closing behind him.

That night we talked until exhaustion finally got the better of us both. His back curled perfectly against my chest and I instinctively wrapped my arms around him as I took in his scent. It just felt right, and by the contented sigh that he let out, I knew he felt the same. I just hoped this wasn't tormenting him too much. Obviously we had been important to each other and I really had no idea just how much this impacted him. That seemed to be important to me and I let the thought carry me off to sleep. That night I dreamed of a playful sandy wolf.

* * *

The next few weeks passed without incident. I was no closer to finding out about things, but I had started getting suspicious of those around me. Sam seemed to spend a lot of time out at night, despite the fact that his job was only open during the day. And then there was the group of guys who were always around. They all carried themselves in a way that I couldn't quite place.

Even though my memory wasn't coming back, I was beginning to feel better every day. I had been sore for a bit after the accident, but that had subsided quickly. All of my bruising was gone and I felt a continuous tingling sensation all across my body. My chest had been covered in scars when I woke up, but they all seemed to be disappearing. I had figured those were permanent, but day by day they were getting lighter. I still didn't walk around without a shirt like many of the others though. Even if I was hot, it didn't seem right to not be clothed, especially in public.

Things took a change as we neared the end of winter break. I took the path through the woods towards the ocean, hoping to clear my mind. I was told that I'd have to go back to school, which is something I was kinda looking forward to. I had been given some kind of exemption from end of semester exams because of what had happened, but I'd have to take them later, but even that thought didn't bother me. The normality of school just seemed...grounding. As I reached the cliffs that overlooked the ocean, I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I turned around to see a pair of figures with blood red eyes, their skin blending with the snow quite well.

"What do you think, is he worth killing?" one of them asked.

"I think it'd be a great idea to rid the world of one of _their kind_" the other sneered as they stalked towards me. Suddenly a large, sandy-colored wolf barreled through, slamming into both of them. It was the same wolf that had been in my dreams and I knew not to fear him as he quickly put himself between the other two and me. It wasn't long before they both went after the wolf, quickly getting the better of it. When he fell to the ground at the mercy of the creatures, I felt the rage rising inside of me. I began to shake, letting out a snarl and drawing both of their attention to me before I exploded into a wolf myself. With it came everything else. I leaped and immediately beheaded one of them, just as a silver wolf flew in to take out the other. As quickly as it had begun, it was over.

I quickly approached Seth and nudged him. He looked up at me groggily before licking my snout, a grin covering his face (or as much of a grin as a wolf can have). The important thing was that I _knew_ that it was Seth. I remembered everything.

I could feel the happiness radiating off of my imprint, but I could also feel the pain and fear that were coming off of Paul. I made my way over to his sulking form, wrapping myself around him.

"I'm sorry Jake" he said with his eyes downcast. I did the only thing I could think of and licked him, catching him completely off guard.

"Don't be, Paul. Just don't do anything like that again. The pack needs you more than that. _I _need you too much to let you go like that." I said as he bared his neck to me again. As I nipped at it a few times, I knew that we would be alright. I would be there for him when he needed to talk about things, but I was glad that I could see into his thoughts. He wouldn't let me down.

The three of us trotted back to Sam's, the smell of food already in the air. Paul let out a playful bark, signaling our arrival and Sam's face split into a smile as he saw three wolves approaching him. Things were finally back to normal. Well, as normal as you get with werewolves and vampires…

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_AN: Ok, I was feeling a bit like a softy with this one. Sure, I made everyone suffer for a bit, but it was for a good cause at least hehe. This was never meant to be a long-term obstacle, but it felt like something different to put in. Hope that you enjoyed it and as always, I hope to hear from you. My goal is to find some kind of writing time this week, but I do know that I'll be busy with work. I've pretty much given up on ever trying to figure out when the next post will be, but so far there haven't been any ridiculous pauses (though you may disagree on that one hehe). Thanks for reading!_


	13. Chapter 13

_AN: Sorry for the delay. Real life has been quite demanding as of late. I appreciate hearing from those of you that are kind enough to review, as well as the support from those that favorite/alert the story. Hopefully you enjoy this one, and as a warning, be aware that there's a small amount of Rated M material hehe._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

After we walked into the house, I spoke to Sam and he agreed to turn his office into a bedroom for a while. We thought that it'd be best to be there for Paul, even if I was confident that he was going to pull himself through this. Having him go to his old home right now was completely off the table. The wolf was hurting and I knew that even if he was close to Jared, there were some things that couldn't be understood without experience. I sent Seth to help Paul gather his things from the Cameron household while Sam cleared off the sofa for the time being. We'd get a bed tomorrow.

Having taken care of Paul, I turned my attention to Sam. I had an idea of what to do with the inheritance that would be both productive and allow me to repay my Beta for providing for me so much.

"I'd like to talk some business with you Sam" I began, beckoning for him to sit down. He did so with a curious look on his face, but waited to hear what I had to say.

"I know that you hate your job." I stated simply, earning a nod. "Obviously you're a good mechanic, but having everyone go to Forks to work on their cars is just not efficient. Couple that with the prices they charge, and I think that the reservation is really suffering from a lack of options." The grimace on Sam's face confirmed everything.

"How would you like to run your own shop?" I asked, jumping straight to the point. Confusion washed over his face immediately.

"What do you mean? If I could have found a way to help around here, I would have years ago." He said tiredly. I knew this had been eating at him and I really wanted to do something about it.

"Well, you know what I'm sitting on now. I'm not the kind of person to just spend money and my parents made sure that I'd be supported. I want to use a portion of that to open up a garage on the reservation. The thing is, I only know enough about automobiles to get by. I'd need someone who knows everything they'd need to actually do the job. I want to work and learn about cars, but I still have school so I couldn't run the place. So, what I'm wondering is if you'd help start this up for me. I'd help out with whatever I can and come in after school. We wouldn't have to charge the prices that hurt people and you're already well-respected by people in the area. I think that this could really help the reservation." I finished, waiting for a reaction. I hoped that he'd be interested, as there was no question that I needed him to pull this off. Working in a garage had always been something I enjoyed, so the concept of being able to after high school was appealing. Sam had the experience to make it happen, if he was willing to.

"I…I don't know what to say. I could see it being really beneficial, but do you really want to put me in charge of something like that? What if it flounders and I need to raise prices to cover costs? What if this just fails?" he inquired, delving through all of the negatives.

"Who else would I ever want to put in this kind of position? You work hard and you care about the people. I'm not doing this to try and get rich. I think it's an opportunity, but I recognize that it's a huge commitment to ask from you." I said, giving him an out.

"I don't mind the work." He responded quickly. "This is a real need we have here. I just feel like I might fail you. I can't contribute enough money to stake any share in this. It's you that would hurt if I messed up." He said quietly. I loved how much he cared.

"Sam, even if I thought this was a risky thing, I'd want to do it. The money isn't important. I owe you for everything I have here." I said, finally resting my palm on shoulder. He looked up at me, a glimmer in his eyes as he processed that this was real.

"Plus, you'll have me as a mechanic" Paul called out, sliding down beside me as he and Seth walked into the room.

"You never were one to mind your own business" Sam chuckled.

"What can I say, I packed quickly. Besides, I graduate after this semester. You know that I'm fully capable of being a help and that I really don't have that many great prospects with my grades." He said, his confidence going downhill towards the end.

After a nod from Sam, I pulled Paul to me. "We'd love to have you in on this. Gotta have dependable people after all." I said, causing a true smile to form over the wolf's face. I knew that he needed a distraction and there wasn't anything that I wouldn't do for the pack. Of course, part of it was selfish, as I had quickly come to love making my wolves happy. Being an Alpha truly had its perks.

We chatted for a while before Paul moved his things into the office. He was tired and wanted to rest, so we left the living room. Sam stated that he had one more important thing to discuss, so we sat down on the porch outside.

"There's something important that you two need to be aware of" he began nervously. I pulled Seth against me on the swing, waiting for Sam to continue.

"Well…there are records that you're not the first Alpha to imprint on another male. At first, our leaders thought it was a disaster. The Alpha gene is rare, meaning that only a few bloodlines have it. If a tribe lost their Alpha, it was feared that their ability to have a pack would end with it. Although I'm a prime example that it's possible to carry on – even if it's not ideal – they didn't know that. They wanted the Alpha to mate with his imprint's sister in order to carry on the bloodline." Sam explained.

"Woah woah woah" I stated as I felt Seth tense up beside me. "You can't think that I'd ever be willing to cheat on Seth. Especially not with an imprinted wolf!" I exclaimed, slightly startled. I had a sick feeling in my stomach. I wouldn't do something like that to my wolf.

"Not at all, Jake. Let me finish." He said, his slight annoyance showing through. Alpha or Beta, leaders don't like to be interrupted. I nodded for him to continue.

"The Alpha declined politely, causing the council to panic. Then something shocking happened that absolutely no one could have foreseen: The Alpha's imprint became pregnant." He stated bluntly.

"You're funny Sam. Why don't you ever joke around with everyone like this? It wouldn't hurt you to show more of a sense of humor sometimes." Seth stated with a yawn. He was right, Sam had never really been one to joke around. I knew that this wasn't something he would just make up, but how could it be true?

"Seth…I'm not kidding about this. We learned that the Alpha's bloodline found its own way of passing the gene along. It's why I told Jake that _if_ anything happened between you two, he needed to be safe." He finished, an awkward silence filling the air.

It was all starting to make sense. It started with Sue's vague statement long ago. Then there was Leah's shouting at the other pack and Sam's odd actions at the hotel. This really wasn't a joke at all.

"Holy shit…" was the most elegant thing that I could come up with. I had never expected something like this.

"Now, I'll let you two think about what that means. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me or any of the council members." Sam stated, giving us our space. Seth's face heated up, likely at the prospect of talking to his mother about this. I could feel his heart racing as he processed this.

"Are you ok Seth?" I asked, pulling him closer to me. I didn't want him to freak out.

"I…I don't know. I mean, it's a scary concept. I never thought that I could be the one to bear children. That was Leah's job, especially since I knew that I wasn't going to ever be with a girl. But this…this could be a good thing. I wouldn't mind someday having a family with you if you ever wanted one. If not, I'm perfectly fine just having you." He said, waiting for me to respond to the unasked question.

Did I want kids? At this point, absolutely not. But someday? Someday it could be exactly what I want. A way to pass my heritage on? Not that I had any real intention of giving up an eternal life with Seth, but that didn't mean that we couldn't have a family. This actually had the potential to be amazing.

"Seth, I obviously don't want kids at this stage in our lives, but it's definitely something I could see happening someday. And I can't imagine wanting to have one with anyone other than you. So, maybe at some point, you and I could do this. It's not something I want to pressure, but I see the upside of it." I said, leaning in to place a kiss in his hair.

A small grin formed over his face and we sat there in silence for a few minutes, basking in each other's company. It had been a chaotic month. We'd dealt with an army of leeches, the vampire that had caused all of my problems and kidnapped 3 wolves, our first time being physically together and my imprinting, Paul's tragic loss, my memory being gone for a bit, and now a perspective-changing revelation. Yeah…it'd been really busy.

We walked into the house and headed up to the bedroom. I was looking forward to having Seth in my arms again. I was dreading the prospect of his mother demanding that he sleep at home, but we'd deal with that later. As I peeled off my shirt, Seth ran his eyes over my body, a slight gasp leaving him.

"Your chest! It's completely healed!" he said, running his hand over where the scars had been before.

"Oh yeah, I kinda forgot about that. Having reconnected with my wolf, I know this is what he was working on. I spent so long living in that form that he never had the energy to properly recover from the injuries. I don't love that he decided to lock down my memories for several weeks, but I can't say I mind how he spent the time." I laughed. To be honest, I hated that I had put Seth through that, but I loved the end result. I'm not that self-centered, but it was nice being able to look over myself without the memory of where each one of those scars came from. I was ready to move on from my past.

I stripped off my pants, chuckling as the moon revealed Seth's reddened face as his eyes scanned my completely exposed form. Even after everything we'd done, he still got flushed when he saw me like this. He recovered quickly, however, joining me in stripping off everything. I had no intention of actually having sex with him tonight – especially as I thought about the fact that I could accidentally get him pregnant well before we were prepared for it – but that didn't mean we couldn't have some fun. I wanted to make up for him having to go through the last few weeks of pain.

I pushed Seth down on the bed. He was beautifully sprawled out before me and I began to wonder if I had been too hasty in deciding against making love to him tonight. Instead I got on my knees, taking his quickly hardening member into my mouth. As he groaned I stuck my hand up to his mouth. He quickly took the hint and sucked on a few of my fingers, covering them with saliva. I moved them back down, teasing his entrance before sliding two inside of his puckered hole. He was always so tight, and I could feel him tense as I continued to probe him. When I curled the fingers and touched his sweet spot, I knew he wasn't going to last long. He immediately grabbed a fist full of my hair, forcing my head all the way to his base as he began to shoot down my throat, letting out an impressively quiet gasp of satisfaction. I took all of it before he let me go, cleaning his softening cock on the way up. He pulled me into a deep kiss and I couldn't help but wonder what he thought about the fact that he could probably taste himself. I didn't linger on the thought as he began to return the favor.

Seth rolled us over on the bed, taking the spot on top. As he slid down, he planted light kisses along my chest. When he got down to my waist, he detoured around my straining hard-on. It felt amazing as he rolled one of my balls in his mouth, but I was desperate for release. I hadn't gotten off since the accident and I was needy. I let out a less-than-respectable whimper, hoping my plea would be heard. Seth decided to end the torture, finally taking in my aching cock. My arms made their way to his shoulders as I prevented myself from trying to force myself deeper. I knew he was inexperienced and I knew that I wasn't small. I needed to let him do this at his own pace, and I was enjoying every second of it. He began to bob faster, using one hand to stroke the rest of it and the other to cup my balls. It felt amazing and I had to bite my lip to keep from groaning loudly. Sam and Paul did not need to hear what we were up to.

It was only a handful of minutes before I found my release, pulling a pillow over my head so that I could smother the moan that escaped. He took it all down, grinning as he moved back up onto the bed and curled himself into my body.

"I'm glad you're back, Jake. I missed being close like this. It's not all about the physical parts, but I do love being able to actually show that I love you." he murmured tiredly against me.

"I know, Seth. I love you too and I'm glad that all of that is in the past. I don't want to think about you not sleeping in my arms like this" I replied, pulling him even more tightly into my side.

With that, we slowly drifted away, perfectly content with the world. After all of the drama, we were still in each other's arms. I knew then that even if I had to sneak in through his window, I wasn't going to ever sleep without the boy in my arms. Seth was mine and nobody was going to come between us.

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_AN: I recognize that this is a slightly slower-paced chapter after everything else that has happened, but the groundwork has been set for the rest of the story. I hope to hear your opinions on the chapter and the direction that you think it might be heading. I'm confident that the next chapter will likely (unfortunately) take a while to write thanks to work and whatnot, but hopefully you find the story worth continuing. As always, thanks for reading!_


	14. Chapter 14

_AN: Well, I kinda expected this chapter to take a bit longer than it did, but I found some time to write. Thank you to everyone who took the time to review this last chapter. Really appreciate hearing from you. Hopefully you'll find this one enjoyable. As a warning, there is a bit of Mature content in this chapter._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

Time began to speed up after that. For once we were extremely busy with human issues instead of the supernatural problems that had dominated the past several months. It was a nice change of pace to have problems that didn't put us in physical danger, at least for now.

During the day, most of the pack went to school. I actually tried to pay attention more, but I couldn't help but to feel like this was a waste of time. I knew what I was going to do when I got finished. Being Alpha meant that I wouldn't be going to college, and if the shop took off like I hoped, I'd be devoting myself to that as a profession. I was proficient in math, reading, and writing, which were the only "book learning" subjects I needed from school, although I had started reading a lot of Sam's mechanic books as I tried to better my understanding of vehicles. Sitting through lessons about poetry, trigonometry, and ancient history just seemed useless.

That said, it was refreshing to be able to hang out with everyone on normal terms. I had several classes with Quil & Embry, who I was quickly growing closer to. I knew that they were interested in building things, so I began working with them to design a house for the future. They were taking some type of engineering class that's final project was to come up with a scale model, so we were killing two birds with one stone. They both held summer jobs with the local construction company, planning to move into that field when they graduated the following year. Apparently both of them had gotten pretty good at fixing some of the older places on the reservation. Although I didn't really plan on doing anything immediately, I did want to set the foundation for my life with Seth.

Sam continued to let me live with him, Emily happily preparing food for all of us. Paul had taken to living in the house pretty well. We had a lot of late night talks, especially when the pain got to be too much for him. He hated how weak that it made him feel, but I never judged him for it. When the council asked what he wanted to do with the house and belongings, I thought Paul was going to phase in the house. I pulled him out of the room and calmed him, talking him down by reminding him that I'd been where he was. It may seem insensitive that they're discussing something as trivial as personal belongings so soon after the boy lost his parents, but they were necessary things to clear up. Paul ended up going the same route I did, asking for them to liquidate everything, and although his father hadn't cared enough to have an insurance policy, there would be enough to help Paul start saving for the future. I went with Sam to inspect Paul's room and grab some more of his clothes among other things that I thought he'd find important. He hadn't gone back to retrieve his computer or anything else, but his eyes shimmered when he walked into his room at Sam's and found the belongings, pulling us both into a hug. I'm guessing he was willing to just lose everything if it meant not having to go back into that house.

Sam had quit his job at the shop in Forks, putting in his two week's notice and planting the seeds for our client base when customers mentioned that they would be back to have more work done later. I know it was a bit dirty to do that while on the clock for the owner there, but I couldn't feel much sympathy for the man who charged 200% for parts and had a larger markup on labor. He had been ripping off people for too long.

Once Sam finished his tenure, the work began on the new shop. He and Emily helped me file for a business license, getting approval from the council to set up shop on their land. I'm sure if it had been anywhere else there would have been a lot more questions, but the tribe had a lot of faith in Sam, knowing that he always had their well-being in mind. We both signed the paperwork, as even if I was the one providing the funding, I considered him an even partner in the operation.

He already had a place in mind, encouraging me to setup at a shop that had once existed on the reservation outskirts. I immediately agreed and purchased it from the bank after some price negotiations, allowing us to begin cleaining out the place. The pack occasionally stopped by to chat and even help, but it was pretty much Sam doing most of the work with Paul, Seth, and I coming over after school. It took us a few weeks to get the place cleaned up, repairing broken windows, repainting, and making the place presentable.

Then came the expensive project of getting all of the things we needed. The station's lifts were in disrepair, so we ultimately scrapped them both and bought new hydraulic ones to go along with an oil pump, impact gun, and air compressor. Then we had to start stocking up on all of the consumable products. I went to the local wholesale agent and loaded up on filters, brake pads wiper blades, belts, and various other things for different car types that regularly had to be worked on. Last on the list was a long list of tools, but Sam fortunately had his own set that he had maintained at the old shop since the owner was too cheap to provide them. We bought a few key supplemental pieces and began to create a duplicate set, hoping that we'd get enough business to need them.

After all of that was taken care of, we were pretty much ready to roll. Emily had set us up with utilities, phone, and internet, offering to be the bookkeeper, advertiser, payroll manager, and appointment scheduler for us, having already gone and setup the business with proper tax information. I had no idea about most of this stuff, but was grateful to have someone around that did.

When Sam went on a weekend trip with Emily, Paul & I put the sign he had designed for "Black-Uley Motors" on the building. Paul thought it would be great name recognition and I was happy to have Sam's name linked to the company. Everything was in place for us to officially launch and Sam actually looked like he was ready to cry when he laid eyes on the building and official business name. After everything, I was ecstatic to have him in this with me.

"Thank you so much" he whispered, pulling me into an embrace.

"This is yours as much as it is mine" I reminded him.

We opened that Monday and I took the day off from school to make sure that things went well. We didn't have that lag that new businesses have though. People had seen our rates and knew about Sam's quality of work. A few people from the reservation even recognized the Black name, associating it with good things. All in all, we were swamped, doing everything from basic oil changes and inspections to lining up a few major repairs. Much of the basic work was within my knowledge base, but Sam had to take on the more complicated work. When Paul arrived that afternoon, we were grateful to have someone to help take the edge off of the constant flow. This was already seeming like a brilliant idea and although we left exhausted, Sam had the biggest grin that his face could manage. All of our hard work was going to pay off.

The drawback was that we really needed to hire more help. I couldn't continue to skip school and Sam couldn't handle the workload alone. The saving grace was that he knew a couple of retired mechanics that would probably still enjoy working on a part time basis. A phone call to the two of them asking if they wanted to work short days to cover until Paul & I showed up went well, as they admitted to missing getting their hands dirty.

Of course, even with all of this workload, we weren't able to shirk our responsibilities as a pack. We did lessen patrols a bit, only running a couple of wolves at a time in 4 hour blocks. One of us normally took off during lunch to run a quick check for new scents. We had hoped that getting rid of Victoria would end our troubles, but we weren't quite that lucky. The occasional nomad came around, limiting our ability to relax.

One Saturday night, I felt like something was off. The rest of the pack had the night off, so I decided to go for a run. Seth was with Sue and Leah visiting family, so I had nothing else to occupy my time. I picked up on a scent that was different from anything else that I had found. The trail led me to the border, where I found two cloaked figures gliding through. When they crossed to our side, they paused, staring at me as I approached with teeth bared. Their eerie calmness worried me, but as they charged, I knew that I had no choice. Before I got to them though, the girl seemed to focus in on me before unimaginable pain forced me to my knees. Fire seemed to flow through my entire body, consuming every corner of my existence. As I attempted to stand to fight it, the boy landed a quick kick to my ribs. It wasn't long before I phased back, quickly being held tightly with my arms behind my head.

"Now, dog, you're going to tell us everything you know about that immortal child that the Cullens are protecting" she sneered, slightly easing up my pain for a moment.

"I don't know what you're talking about" I mumbled, slowly regaining my senses. I had a feeling that this had to do with Bella and Edward's child, but we hadn't really discussed that with them.

"Is that how it's going to be? Fine…" she said with a laugh, stepping back and resuming her torture on my body. I didn't understand this power, but it was extremely disorienting. She occasionally lowered the level of burning to ask me again, but I had nothing to give her. I can't be sure how long it lasted, but I was suddenly snapped out of it when a spotted grey wolf slammed into her. The guy that had been holding me went to check on her as Embry & Quil stood defensively over me.

"Be careful, guys. She has a power" I gasped out. Just as it looked like she was preparing to use it on them, I felt as if a shield was thrown around us. Bella appeared beside Embry, accompanied by Emmett and Jasper. With a snarl, the two hooded figures took off, but not before issuing a warning that they'd be back eventually. My pack mates quickly phased back to look me over, helping me into my cutoffs as I leaned against them shakily.

"I'm sorry, Jake. Those two are with the Volturi, investigating my child. Edward and I had a baby girl who is an immortal, which breaks the laws, but we refuse to give up without a fight. We saw Jane and her brother Alec for the first time today, but hopefully they'll stay gone for a while. My power cancels both of theirs out, so Edward read that they were going to back off for the time being. Still, I'm sorry we didn't realize what they were doing to you. Do you want us to take you to Carlisle?" she explained, placing a cold hand on my arm. I shook my head, an arm wrapped around my friends as I told her that we'd just head back to the reservation. She promised to keep us updated about any changes from the vampire royalty that we'd been warned about. She nodded and they took off, presumably to return to the child.

"I owe you guys. How'd you know I was in trouble?" I inquired as I limped back through the woods.

"You're not going to like the answer" Embry said before sighing. "I got a call from Leah who said that Seth had practically gone berserk. I'm not sure if he could feel exactly what you were going through, but he could tell that you were in a lot of pain. Leah frantically told me that something had to be wrong with you and we got here as fast as possible." He explained as I slowly regained the strength to walk under my own power.

We got back to the house and the two decided to just chill out with me. I called to check in on Seth, but Leah answered, telling me that he had gone to sleep, whatever had happened having exhausted him. They promised to tell him that I was ok, and I accepted that as the best that we could do. The powers that these leeches had access to were a bit frightening, but I felt good having my pack brothers around me. We agreed to bring this up at the next pack meeting, though none of us really knew what we could do against them. Apparently the brother had powers too, but the girl had been formidable on her own. No wonder the Volturi were considered so powerful. Still, I tried to put that at the back of my mind and enjoy an evening with friends. Video games and pizza were always a great escape.

* * *

The rest of the semester went by smoothly. We had amped up patrols to try and monitor for this new threat, but they seemed to be staying far away. We fell back to our normal routines, but kept on our guard in case we came across some of their powerful group.

As summer came closer, Seth came down with something. He skipped school one Friday, running an even higher fever than usual. I was worried, but Sue told me that she'd take care of him. I got to his house after school, skipping the shop for the day. We had maintained steady business, but I knew that Paul and Sam could handle it. As I walked in, Sue greeted me as she grabbed her purse.

"I'm glad you're here. I have to take care of some things and I wanted someone to watch Seth. Leah told me she was patrolling this afternoon, so I was waiting for you" she said, rushing out the door as I nodded.

I walked to Seth's room, my nostrils flaring as I opened the door. Seth was sprawled out on his bed, moaning deliciously as he writhed on the bed. His eyes snapped to me as I approached and he immediately pulled me over to him, pressing our lips together as we fell onto the bed. Once again I took in a deep breath of his scent, finding myself getting lost in its haze. I had no idea why, but he was enticing me in a way that hit me at the core. Obviously I loved him, but the thoughts that he was triggering were purely animalistic.

I shuddered as I continued to breathe deeply, barely registering the fact that Seth had already undone my pants and guided me onto his naked form. It wasn't long before I was as naked as he was, peering into his eyes as I hovered above him. I could see that something was there that wasn't usually. I could feel his need, and knowing that I needed to please my imprint drove me forward as I aggressively pressed our lips together again.

I quickly found the bottle of lube in his nightstand, slicking up two of my fingers and pressing them inside of him. He groaned against me, writhing as I began to slide them in and out. He felt extremely hot against me, but I quickly lost myself again as he thrust his tongue into my mouth. After a few minutes, he growled at me and I knew that I had taken too long. He was impatient today, but I wasn't going to fight his wishes, especially when I could feel them so clearly.

I unrolled a condom over my throbbing member, turning Seth so that he was on all fours. I positioned myself behind him, completely blanketing him with my body as I pushed firmly inside of him. The feeling was unlike any other time that we had made love. Firstly, this seemed so much more necessary than before. Secondly, he was a lot tighter and hotter than I'd ever experienced. I knew that we hadn't been having sex all that much recently, but this was amazing.

Without much hesitation, I quickly pushed myself all the way in, leaning over him to capture his lips in mine as I pummeled him. He whimpered as I pulled back so that I could brace myself and wrap a fist around his weeping cock, panting my name as I began to pump it in time with my thrusts. It wasn't long at all before he gasped out, covering my palm and the bed in his seed, causing his muscles to clench down even harder on me. That triggered my own orgasm, and as I felt my seed pulsing into him, I realized that something was wrong. My head was unrestricted, painting his inside with my essence. As I slid out, I looked down to see that some combination of the heat and tight walls had caused the condom to burst. Before I could worry, however, I felt my wolf's presence seeking release in a new way. I was driven to curl my body around Seth's protectively, keeping a watchful eye on the door. He had fallen asleep, but I was on edge for anyone to come near him.

After about an hour, I heard Leah and Sue arriving simultaneously. Sue headed towards Seth's door, earning a low growl from me. Between the low warning sound and the scent that I'm sure Leah could identify, she quickly grabbed her mother before she could be put at risk. I didn't know what was happening with me, but nobody needed to be around Seth. I felt them leave the house, giving us our space. I wrapped myself more tightly around Seth, falling into a light slumber as I shielded him from any potential threats.

The next morning I found myself in the same state. I looked over at the broken condom, worry beginning to fill me. Seth seemed to pick up on my change, rolling over to look at me.

"What happened?" he asked groggily.

"I…I don't know Seth. You seemed to be sick yesterday and when I came to check on you, it was like I couldn't pull myself away. And…and…the condom broke" the last sentence coming out a whisper as his eyes widened.

"There's no way that it'll happen. We're going to be fine" he repeated to himself.

Seth began to feel queasy after a few days and I already had a feeling that things were changing. We hadn't spoken about this with anyone, but Leah came with us when we went to Carlisle. I somehow already knew what was going on, but needed to hear him say it for things to be real.

After several tests, Dr. Cullen cleared his throat. "Well, Seth, I have seen this before. It happened the last time an Alpha imprinted on a male. You recently went into a form of heat, ultimately driving Jake to _need_ to please you. I can't completely be sure at such an early stage, but I have a strong feeling that you're carrying a little one." He said bluntly. I swear that nobody around here knew how to announce things with any kind of cushioning.

Seth paled at the words, but I immediately wrapped my arms around him. Carlisle agreed to be there for us as we went through the process and said that he'd research what he could in order to supplement what he had seen in the past. We drove back silently as we contemplated what all this meant. How were we going to be parents at this age? There was no way that we were ready for this! I maintained my calm demeanor as much as I could, not wanting to worry Seth. When we got him home, he immediately went to his room and I watched over him until he fell asleep with our fingers laced together.

Knowing that he was out, I took off to the woods. Leah watched as I exploded into a wolf, crashing through a couple of trees immediately. I couldn't control my thoughts, worry, or anything else from escaping at this point. I could only hope that nobody was on patrol.

"Holy shit, Jake. Seth's pregnant!?" I heard Paul react, but he quickly sensed my distress. Rather than pushing the topic, he quickly made his way to me as I carved a path through the woods. Trees splintered as I wrapped my jaws around them, channeling all of my fear through violence. Paul tried to stop me, but a swing of my head threw him off.

Unexpectedly, he phased back before grabbing my snout. He forced me to look him in the eyes and I took in the stern look he was giving me, unable to resist the need to phase back. I broke down, just as he had when we first became pack mates.

"What am I going to do, Paul? I can't raise a family! And Seth…I've ruined Seth's life. He didn't want a kid at this age! He flat out said that. What have I done!?" I yelled, completely succumbing to my fears and inadequacies.

"Shhhh, Jake." Paul cooed, holding me tightly as I slowly calmed down, listening to his steady heartbeat. Just as I had supported him, he was there for me when I was overwhelmed.

"Listen to me Jake. You're not alone in this. Do you really think we're not going to be here for you? You're our _brother_ Jake. Although I feel that way about the whole pack, I especially mean that to you after everything you've done for me. You have to know that we're here for you too and don't just use you as our support. And I saw your memory. This couldn't be controlled. You're not at fault for it. We'll take this as we've taken everything else. It'll be all right and will be a great thing by the end. Just hold it together and lean on us as you need to" he said, somehow accomplishing both a soft, caring tone and a firm presence behind his words. I nodded at him as he pulled me into an embrace. This was real. There was no escaping it, but as long as I had the others with me, I knew that we'd pull through. Our family would be there to make sure of that. I just hoped that I was still going to be alive once we broke the news to Sue.

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_AN: That was a busy chapter. Hope that it didn't seem too rushed, but I wanted to push some things forward before advancing into the m-preg concept (finally). No clue when the next one will be, but hopefully it won't be too long before I can write again. As always, I hope to hear from you and am grateful for all of the reviews, alerts, and favorites that provide encouragement that this is worth continuing. Thanks for reading!_


	15. Chapter 15

_AN: Sorry for the lengthy time between posts. I've been swamped and just haven't had the time to write. I recognize that this is a bit of a filler chapter, but it does at least move things forward a bit. Hope that you enjoy it and I appreciate all of the reviews, follows, and favorites. Last chapter was the most reviews I've had in a long time, and I really do enjoy hearing from all of you._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Seth's POV**

I couldn't believe this was happening to me. It was definitely not what I had in mind this early in life. Then again, who really plans to be pregnant as a teenager? I was supposed to be worrying about grades, rumors, and eventually prom. Instead I get turning into a wolf to fight vampires and being pregnant as a guy. I know that they say that it's an honor to carry the Alpha's lineage along, but did it really have to happen so soon?

Of course, I didn't blame Jake for any of this. He was my soul mate and I could never really blame him for anything. As Carlisle explained, nature had kicked in and we were completely unprepared for it. The next morning we took on the dreaded task of going to talk to my mom. I was aware that she knew that this was possible, but there was no chance that this wasn't going to be awkward.

As we walked in the door, mom engulfed me in a hug, which was pretty much her normal greeting. I chuckled a little as I heard Jake trying to suppress a growl. I could tell that his wolf didn't like anyone being that close to me, even if it was someone as harmless as my mother.

"Mom, we need to talk…" I began, deciding to jump right in. No point in dragging this out. She sat down in her chair, a frown already on her face. She knew that I wasn't the one that normally asked for a serious conversation.

"I want to start this off by saying that I love your son" Jake said as he pulled me on top of him, wrapping his arms around my stomach. Mom noticed immediately, sighing as she looked at us.

"You got my boy pregnant, didn't you?" she snapped heatedly at Jake. I sat there looking like a fish out of water as she hit the nail on the head before I started. I simply nodded at her as Jake tensed beneath me.

"I guess I should have seen this coming. A shifter's heat is never really expected, but since you were of age, it was bound to happen at some point. I just wish you had been a bit more careful. You should have had more control of your wolf and realized that something was going on." She sneered, continuing her rant towards Jake as her eyes narrowed slightly, causing my anger to flare a little. Sensing my hostility, Jake took my hands in his and rubbed circles on the backs of them. It was a simple motion, but it soothed me.

"Listen Ms. Clearwater. I didn't particularly want for this to happen so quickly either, but even during the heat, we took precautions and they failed. There weren't any warning signs to tell me to stay away from him and once I was there, there was no turning back." Jake stated simply. I could feel my face flaring at the description of our intimacy.

"That being said, I'm always going to be here for Seth. I have every intention of providing for him and our little one, but I do hope you'll be willing to help us. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared. Hell, downright terrified is probably more accurate. I'd be foolish not to ask you for your support. You've raised two amazing kids and any knowledge that you have – as an elder or a parent – would be greatly appreciated. This happened a lot sooner than any of us planned, but it doesn't have to be a horrible thing." Jake said with a slightly pleading tone. I could see my mother's eyes soften immediately as she strode across the room and pulled me into a hug.

"Of course I'm going to be here for you. I love you, Seth" she whispered, tearing up as she placed a hand on my stomach. After listing lots of things that we'd be needing and briefly describing what to expect as a parent, she went to the shelf and pulled out a couple of books that would hopefully help us through the process. I was glad that our ancestors decided to record things like this, as going in blind would be even more terrifying. I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. Sure, she didn't love what had happened, but at least she was going to be there for us.

That task completed, we assembled the pack. We walked into Sam's house, waiting for the others to show up. One by one they arrived with Paul and Leah taking the seats closest to us. Having my sister by my side meant a lot to me. She had always been supportive and I didn't know what I would have done if she had flipped out on me for this. Paul took a seat beside Jake and I could see feel my imprint's tension ease a bit. Those two really had become important to each other.

"Well guys, we have an announcement to make" Jake began, calling the meeting to order. I was perfectly fine with him being the one to let everything out into the open.

"There's no easy way to put this, but I'm going to have to remove Seth from patrolling. He's…well, he's carrying my child" he stated simply as a silence filled the room.

I began to sweat as no one said anything until I saw Sam approaching from the far side of the room. As he approached, Jake made a move to step in front of him, only being stopped by Paul. Sam's opinion was probably the most important to me. He had always been like an older brother to me and I knew that he had grown close to Jake between their living together and working at the shop. It would definitely hurt if he was against this. Jake was preparing to shrug Paul off when Sam reached me, kneeling gently down in front of me. I let out a sigh of relief as he rested a comforting hand on my shoulder and a grin overtook his face.

"You two are fools going into this so young. Even so, I'm looking forward to having the first of the new generation brought into this world. You can count on me to run the shop for a while and I'm sure that everyone else will be happy to help out in their own way." He said, smiling at us both. That began the flood of support that we received from everyone, finally allowing me to breathe easily. I knew I shouldn't have doubted them, but I had gotten myself worked up over this. The only one who seemed reserved was Collin, who looked upset for some reason. Brady led him away and I allowed for my mind to finally rest a little.

I looked over to find my imprint in the corner of the room. I couldn't help but wonder what he was talking about with Quil & Embry, but he was keeping his voice low. They seemed to be nodding about something. My guess was that they were getting the first round of patrols, as they took off immediately after both embracing the Alpha.

That evening we celebrated, Emily cooking up a mountain of food for the pack. I was ravenous, digging in as soon as the food made it to the table. Normally I was the one that held back, letting everyone else get their fill before getting a plate. I wasn't sure if it was the need to take in more sustenance or what, but I was starving.

After I was refused entry into the kitchen to help clean up, Jake and I headed up to his room. Stripping down, I collapsed against him, allowing him to wrap his body around mine comfortingly.

"Well, pup, I'd say that that went about as well as you can ask for" he said as I felt his smirk against the back of my neck.

"No kidding. I was afraid that mom might make it impossible for you to ever have another kid" I chuckled, finding it more hilarious as I felt his whole body shuddering at the thought.

"I love you, Seth." He whispered as I snuggled up to him as tightly as possible.

"I love you too, Jake." I mumbled, allowing sleep to overtake me after a very busy day.

* * *

After finishing out the remainder of the semester, I turned my attention to focusing entirely on my pregnancy. Mom's books were proving to be a godsend. I learned that the process normally took about 3 months, which was a little longer than a traditional wolf's gestation period. I could only assume that the human side slowed things down slightly. Although wolves typically gave birth to a litter, the records showed that the Alpha's mate oftentimes only produced one cub with a pregnancy, but that it was possible to have twins or more. I really hoped that we weren't getting in too far over our heads.

The most relieving part of this was that the birthing took place in wolf form, with the cub phasing back to human as soon as it was able to sustain itself without needing the mother's milk. Apparently our wolves would change form to accommodate it, and as much as I wasn't a huge fan of being considered more feminine than the submissive role already made me, it was better than any of the alternatives.

Another positive was that I was saved from the difficult process of trying to find a den to give birth in. The journals told of the traditional birthing ground for the occasions where there was a pack birth that couldn't take place in a hospital. There's a cave within our territory that has a river flowing through it and only one accessible entrance, making it perfect for a wolf in labor. I read the instructions, preparing to phase for the first time since finding out that I was carrying. Jake had asked me to stay out of danger, removing me from patrols. This was something that had to be done, however, so I walked out to the woods and stripped down.

Focusing on my wolf, he quickly rose to the surface. I felt the wonderful heat rise through me, allowing me to return to the form that I had come to embrace as part of me. Immediately a couple of voices filled my head, letting me know that Paul, Jared, Collin, and Brady were on patrol.

Jared & Brady had recently started working at the shop to help cover the increasing business that they were receiving. Safe to say that customers loved the new shop and word had quickly gotten out that it was the place to go. Jared had spent a lot of time with Sam over the years, picking up a lot of information and really needed a job after graduating. Brady may not know much about engines, but he was fully capable of basic services and had a lot of people there to teach him if he actually wanted to make it into a career. Overall, they made for a great group under Sam's watch.

Jake had been spending his days out, coming in exhausted at night. I assumed he was working, but as I listened in to the conversation between the others before they caught onto my presence, I learned otherwise.

"I'm really glad Jake needed the help at the shop. Win-Win, right? I get to learn and a earn bit of money, he gets his business up and running" Brady chirped happily.

"Yeah, but I feel bad for Sam & Paul. You and I can only help so much and the older guys are only there part time. With Jake gone, they get the brunt of the hard work." Jared replied.

"No need to feel bad for us. Picking up the slack for now is nothing. I'm happy to be there for them" Paul chimed in.

Where was Jake if he wasn't at the shop? I was so confused as to what was going on. He definitely wasn't at home and he always looked tired. I began to worry about what he might be doing. I trusted him entirely, but why hadn't he told me he was doing something else when we talked about the shop? As much as it bothered me, I decided to focus on my task.

Just as I took off towards the mountains, I had to skid to a stop to avoid running directly into Collin. He stared at me questioningly before realization dawned on him.

"Seth?" he asked quietly.

"Hey Collin, what's up?" I asked, grinning at him. We hadn't talked much in the past few weeks and I still felt like something was off with him.

"Um…have you seen yourself?" he asked and I began to worry as I felt the others approaching.

"No, why?" I asked quickly, my eyes darting around as the other three wolves came near.

"Holy crap, Seth. Did your human form change as well?" Brady barked, sending me an image of myself. I was shocked to see that it hadn't been a subtle change at all. My wolf was completely female already and somewhere between Brady's snickering and my hormones, I could feel myself wanting to tear up. Paul silenced the wolf, before coming over and nudging me in the stomach. Although in human form I had no showing of being pregnant, I actually felt my pup nudge back against Paul's snout. Both of us jumped in surprise and I couldn't help but to swell with pride as I felt the first true signs of being with child. It all seemed so much more real.

"What are you doing out here? You know that you're supposed to be taking it easy" Paul questioned kindly.

"I found records of a den that is supposed to be used for birthing. I wanted to go find it and see if it was still in good shape and if my wolf approved." I explained. Paul nodded before turning to the others.

"You guys continue on the patrol. I'm going with him to make sure nothing happens." He said, earning nods from Jared and Brady.

"I'm going to come too" Collin said quietly. I was surprised, but happy to have the company. We took off towards the mountains, guided by the journal's directions.

Jared and Brady resumed their patrol, though I could tell than Brady was a little anxious to have Collin going out without him. I had complete faith in Paul though. He was one hell of a fighter and even if we were submissives, Collin and I had proven that we can fight when we had to.

As we made our way up the mountain, I felt my natural instinct kick in. My wolf knew where it was going, but I was surprised that Collin seemed to be one step ahead of me. We reached the ledge simultaneously as he hung back to allow my wolf to scope out the place. Paul trotted inside to do a quick sweep, but was satisfied that there was no danger inside. He left us to explore it for ourselves, watching over the entrance.

We walked around, sniffing the ground. After verifying that the water was good, the entrance was hidden enough, and that the place was overall an ideal location to give birth, I dug out a small section of soil to lie in. Everything seemed right and I understood why our ancestors had used this place. I was just about to make my way back out when I felt the wave of sadness from Collin. A moment later he had phased back, tears streaming down his face.

I stopped Paul from reentering the cave and phased out to see what the problem was. I was genuinely concerned for Collin. We had never been extremely close, but we weren't all that different.

"Shh, Collin. Calm down buddy. What's wrong?" I asked, pulling him up against me as he stiffened.

"What's wrong!?" he shouted. "What's wrong is that because of you and Jake, I'll never be able to have something like this!" he snapped, gesturing towards the cave.

"I don't follow. What did we do to you?" I asked, frowning.

"I should be able to carry on the Alpha's lineage! Just because I'm a submissive, it made sense for Jake to be the one to pass the gene down. We're from the same line and if he hadn't come here, maybe I'd actually be able to have a family! Why is he so special that he gets to pass on the heritage and I can't!" he sobbed, wrapping his arms around his knees. I finally understood his frustration. He had known about the possibility as well, but had hoped that somehow it'd be him that would get to be able to have a family of his own. I felt bad for him, but there wasn't much that could be done. Jake had come and we were going to have a child. I took Collin into my arms, allowing him to continue to sob.

"Listen Collin. We don't know that you won't be able to. There's never been a situation where the bloodline split into different families. There may not be records of it, but you do still carry the Alpha gene. It may be dormant, but we never can tell how it's going to be. For all we know, you could have a child as well. You can't ever give up hope, and even if it's not ideal, there are other ways to get a family. Things don't have to end with you" I whispered, hugging him tightly as he wrapped his arms around me.

He calmed shortly thereafter, wiping his tears on his arm. "Thanks Seth. I'm sorry that I've been so detached lately. I actually know a lot about this and would love to help you as you prepare to welcome your pup into the world." He said, smiling at me as his eyes glimmered with hope.

"I'd love to have you here too Collin. If anyone can relate to me, it's you." I smiled, pulling him up as we phased and headed back down. Paul didn't act like he had heard the outburst and I was glad that he was letting it drop. He had really come a long way from being the one who would love to upset others. It was nice to see him somewhat happy.

We made it back to the main reservation quickly and I could tell that Paul was relaxed to be in our normal territory. He obviously felt responsible for us and although I hated being constantly watched, I appreciated the sentiment. I returned to the house, promising that I wouldn't go out on my own.

That night Jake came in exhausted, as always. He was covered in dirt, but seemed extremely happy. When he got out of the shower, I finally decided to address where he had been.

"Listen, Jake. I know you haven't been going to the shop. Where have you been spending your days?" I questioned.

He walked over, taking me into his arms and placing a kiss in my hair. "Do you trust me?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I trust you" I murmured against him.

"If that's true, then let it go. I've got a surprise for you, but I don't want you thinking about it until it's ready. Is that good enough for you?" he asked, brushing the hair out from in front of my eyes. I simply nodded and we headed down to get some food.

That night, I curled up in my normal position against Jake. I had told him about my phasing and how my wolf had changed. He didn't joke about it, telling me he loved me no matter what I looked like. I sighed contentedly as he ran his hand over my stomach continuously.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" he asked.

"Hard to believe what?" I asked confused.

"Before too long, we'll have a family to call our own. I know it won't be easy, but I'm glad that I'm going into this with you." He answered, turning me around and placing a chaste kiss on my lips. I buried my face into his neck, taking comfort in being here with my mate. Even if I wasn't completely ready to have a kid, I was glad to be sharing this with him too. For the first time since I had found out, I was completely at ease. My pack, family, and mate were all happy and I could say with complete honesty that I was happy too.

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_AN: I'm discovering that it's not particularly easy to cover m-preg in a way that hasn't been done before. If any of it looks familiar over the next chapter or two, I apologize. Trying to be as original as possible, but I expect that there will be some similarities. Hopefully you find it entertaining. I look forward to hearing from those of you who choose to review. As always, thanks for reading!_


	16. Chapter 16

_AN: Hello everyone. I wanted to thank everyone who took the time to read & review last chapter, as well as those who have favorited & alerted the story. I really appreciate that some of you are willing to share your thoughts and support. When I decided to actually follow through on m-preg, I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into. I can only hope that I'm capturing it well and that you find the chapter entertaining and a worthwhile read. As always, I hope to hear from you!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

The weeks passed and things were getting even more hectic as we tried to prepare for the arrival of our child. I knew that this was hard on Seth. He hadn't even reached 17 and was preparing to give birth within the next month. Still, even with everything that happened, we had the support of those around us that kept things from being overwhelming.

Sue's books had helped a lot and her support was crucial for Seth and I. Seth had learned a lot about how the birth was going to happen and had successfully found the den, his wolf approving of what was apparently a sacred Quileute location. I heard about the encounter he had with my cousin, but I was glad that the two seemed to have moved on. I understood where Collin was coming from, but there was nothing that could be done. I am the Alpha and Seth is carrying my cub. Fortunately everything seemed to be better between us, as Collin & Leah were constantly there for Seth whenever he had questions, fears, and all of the other things that the pregnancy caused.

During this time period the shop had grown as well. Jared and Brady had been valuable additions, while Sam and Paul continued to work long hours to keep the customers happy. I felt bad for leaving what was supposed to be my shop, but the others insisted that I focus on getting ready for the baby. I was definitely looking forward to getting back to work that I actually enjoyed, but we had other things to attend to.

I would have been much more comfortable if I had just stuck with working at the shop, or even spending all of that time with Seth. I had a mission though. Having applied the latest piece of sheetrock, I could see my vision finally taking form. You see, instead of working like Seth had thought, I was trying to pull off one of the biggest surprises imaginable. I had restricted him from patrols, serving the dual purpose of protecting him from danger and from figuring out where I was.

When I found out about the cub, I made arrangements to begin working with Quil & Embry and the construction firm that they had been working for. Fortunately the housing market wasn't doing amazingly and they were quite happy to get a house built quickly, especially since they could charge higher rates because I was in a hurry. After looking over a grid of the ideal places to build in La Push, we cleared out a section of trees and began the process. In the past two months, the foundation had been laid, pipes and electricity run to the area, and the framing was almost complete. It took long hours and a decent amount of money, but the house of Seth's dreams was coming alive.

When Seth had worriedly asked me what I was doing, I felt like a jerk for keeping him in the dark. I knew that the pregnancy wasn't easy for him to endure and that I was oftentimes too tired to be much support. Still, after seeing his ideal house when we were talking through our pack connection, I wanted to make it a reality. The construction company had been amazing too. Sure, having two of my pack mates around sped up the process, but their crew was full of experts. Although I didn't know much about what I was doing, I was willing to work and followed their instructions to the best of my ability. The rest of the pack oftentimes showed up on weekends, having decided to temporarily run the shop on weekday hours only. If it hadn't been for all of their help, the house would never be ready in time. I'd never be able to express my gratitude to the pack for going so far beyond the call of duty, but as with everything else we had experienced together, they asked for nothing.

I left the construction site and headed to Sam's, preparing to get cleaned up. I wasn't surprised to find Leah and Seth there chatting and watching TV. Their relationship always left me in awe. Having been an only child, I never knew what it was like to be so close to someone. I knew how important Seth was to Leah when she was willing to track me down for him. I'd like to think that I had built that relationship with everyone in the pack, but what those two had was something to marvel at.

I quickly took a shower before walking back downstairs, wrapping Seth up from behind his spot on the couch. He melted into my arms completely, knowing without turning who was behind him. I planted a kiss in his hair before stepping away, going to start up the Jeep. I had promised Seth that no matter what I was doing, I'd make sure to make this trip with him. It was time to go and see Carlisle and make sure that everything was alright with Seth and our pup. Leah was going to come with us until Embry called her at the last minute. She apologized and left, leaving Seth and I to face whatever news awaited by ourselves.

The drive over was a lot more comfortable than the first time we had gone to see the doctor. Seth and I had long since accepted that we were going to be parents. I had already informed the school that I wouldn't be returning, intending to focus on our child and the shop. There wasn't anything that another year of education could really do for me, and although I knew that my parents would have wanted me to complete my schooling, I hoped that they would have approved of my taking responsibility for my family.

We pulled into the driveway of the manor and Seth turned a bit green. He immediately got out of the car, making is way to the bushes before emptying his stomach. I noticed Carlisle looking on worriedly before Seth apologetically glanced over at him.

"I'm sorry. My sense of smell is a lot more sensitive right now" he mumbled, a flush of red creeping over his cheeks.

"You don't have to worry about offending me, Seth. Let's get you inside and take a look." The doctor said warmly.

We walked in, finding the place empty. I was surprised, but Carlisle said that the rest of the family had something to do today. After waving off my apology for keeping him from his family, we began our assessment. Carlisle had Seth lie down on a table and expose his stomach, which looked exactly like it always had. His toned chest and lean torso was still looked amazing to me, although I would have still admired his body if he was showing his pregnancy. As the doctor rubbed some gel on it and placed some type of machine against it, he looked perplexed.

"Well, I can tell that there's something there, but your body seems to be hiding it well. I'm guessing that in the era of modern medicine, your wolves learned how to camouflage a male being with child. It's actually a brilliant way to make sure that your secret is kept safe." He explained. I guess that's why he hadn't been able to be completely sure back at the beginning.

"Is there anything you can do to make sure that everything is ok?" I asked, worrying that something might go wrong without us being aware.

"Actually, I do have an idea. Obviously the birth takes place in wolf form, so I'm guessing that the wolf side doesn't feel the same need to disguise the pregnancy. If Seth could phase, there's a chance that we could actually get a decent look at the child." Carlisle said, looking over at Seth.

Seth sighed and I could feel the apprehension coming from him. I looked over at him worriedly before he finally decided to speak up.

"I've intentionally not phased around you. I…my wolf became female the moment I first phased after getting pregnant. It shows a lot more and…I don't want you to be disgusted by it." He whispered.

I cupped his jaw, forcing him to look up at me. Leaning down, I gently placed a kiss on his lips. "Seth, I love you. You're carrying something special that is a piece of both of us and I will never be disgusted by you" I murmured, kissing him again.

He nodded against me before beginning to strip. Carlisle turned around to give Seth a bit of privacy as he phased. I asked him if I should phase too, but he shook his head. I think he wanted one of us to voice any questions we might have.

I took this moment to allow my eyes to scan over my imprint. His wolf was still the same sandy color, but there was a very pronounced section underneath him. The wolf form definitely showed the pregnancy and as Seth lay gently on the floor, I ran my hand over the belly. Tears filled my eyes as I smiled, finally seeing evidence that this really was going to happen.

I sat behind Seth, his head resting in my lap as the doctor came over with the machine again. I stroked behind his ears softly as Carlisle began his tests, relieved when he seemed much more satisfied with what he was seeing. After a few minutes, he began to talk to us.

"You see this here?" he asked, indicating a large shape on the screen that was attached to the machine. We both nodded.

"That figure on the screen is her. You're going to have a baby girl and from everything that I can see, it looks like she's developing nicely." He said, smiling at us. We took the moment in, simply looking at the screen as the doctor printed out a picture of it for us.

Seth phased back and I held him in my arms. We didn't have anything to say, but we sat there simply thinking about the news. We were going to have a baby girl. I hadn't even realized that we might find out the gender today. We both basked in the good news before finally thanking the doctor and heading home. Once again, it was a quiet ride, both of us thinking about the future.

Sue & Leah were both at home by the time we got back to the reservation. They seemed nervous as we walked into the house.

"So, what's the news? Is everything good?" Leah asked.

"It's a girl" Seth said, beaming at them. He was quickly engulfed in a hug from the both of them and as was normally the case with people being too close to him, I had to fight back my wolf's fear and keep the protection mode from kicking in. This was his family and they had the right to share in this moment with him. The three of them chatted, all getting teary eyed as they talked about Sue's first grandchild.

We stayed over for dinner that night, as Sue prepared an amazing spaghetti dish for all of us. Embry came in covered in dust and pulled Leah into a hug, quickly earning a few slaps for him to get off of her and go get cleaned up. He did before joining us for the meal and we had a light conversation about what he'd been up to. He spoke of the house he was working on, leaving out the details of where it was and who it belonged to. Seth knew he worked in construction and seemed quite enamored by the thought of building something like that from the ground up.

The next day I was astounded when I walked up to the construction site. An impossible amount had been accomplished since I left. Sam walked up too, smirking at the obvious disbelief in my eyes. Somehow in the course of a day, the entire outside had been finished and from what I could tell as I walked inside, most of the drywall and flooring had been completed. Overall, it looked really close to being ready for cleaning up, painting, and installing appliances.

"Pretty impressive, right? This is what happens when you get a Saturday without any humans around. We just have to tell them that we had a bunch of volunteers come in to help, when in all reality, there were only a dozen of us. Who knew that Emmett and Rose actually knew about this kind of stuff? I guess when you have all the time in the world, you learn some things. The Cullens caught wind of what we were doing and this was the end result. Definitely got us a lot closer to our goal, right?" he laughed, slapping me hard on the shoulder. I was impressed and incredibly thankful that people that should consider us an enemy had become such great friends to us. I knew that someday we might be called to help them and I looked forward to the day when I could pay them back for their kindness. Shaking myself out of my daze, I quickly got to work. We were going to actually get this finished in time.

As the days continued to go by, I focused more and more of my attention on Seth. He was becoming a bit erratic in every aspect of his life, to the point where Sue, Collin, and Leah would alternate spending time with him when he was being particularly emotional. I had turned over the last of the work on the house to Embry & Quil, knowing that my wolf & I needed to be near Seth. Apart from being emotionally back and forth, he had a few other clear signs that he wasn't his normal self. His food cravings were downright disgusting at times. The idea that bacon dipped in sour cream constituted a meal or that peanut butter & jalapenos should ever be put on a sandwich together gave me the chills. Still, he ate what he said he wanted and it was better not to fight him on it.

Sexually he was even more bipolar. One moment he would be straddling me, pulling me into a lust-driven kiss. I always tricked myself into thinking that this was going to be the time that we'd be intimate again. Just as I would truly be getting into it, he'd be up and off of me, either crying about me not being attracted to him anymore or yelling that I shouldn't be messing with him when he's so hormonal. It was a rare day that I didn't have to relieve myself to prevent a permanent case of blue balls.

The weeks continued to roll on and I finally got a call from Embry that everything was ready. I quickly hung up, telling Seth that I was going to see the pack for a moment. Leah glared at me for leaving her alone with her brother. Sure, they loved each other, but Seth had become excessively needy. He couldn't help it, but he constantly wanted something to eat, and if we weren't quick enough, his cravings would change. It was a constant battle to keep him happy and practically required two of us to be there at all times.

I pulled up to the house, having elected to drive the Jeep instead of phasing. I stepped outside and stared at the beautiful structure in front of me. The place was slightly larger than Sam's, built entirely of wood. It was beautiful and almost exactly like what I had envisioned when we modeled it. I stepped inside, finding Embry & Quil waiting for me. I pulled each of them into a hug before they gave me the full tour. Just like in Sam's house, there was a nice sized living room with a fireplace, kitchen, dining room, half bathroom, and a bedroom on the first floor. The hardwood floors were in beautiful shape and the granite counter tops were a nice contrast to the oak cabinets. Upstairs, the master bedroom was already furnished with cherry wood for the dresser, bed, and nightstands.

The biggest surprise was that the master bathroom was larger than I had expected it would be. There was a garden tub in the corner with a shower beside it. Against the wall, a full-sized mirror spanned dual sinks. Even the toilet was separated by a door. The pair had definitely upgraded this from our original plans and I knew that Seth would love it as much as I did.

We finished by checking out the other guest bedroom and bathroom, laundry room, and the deck that they had decided to add. That would be perfect for cooking out and having everyone over, which was definitely going to happen after the hard work that they had all put in. Tears filled my eyes as I embraced the two of them again.

This was everything that I had in mind when I started planning it out. It was the ideal place to share with my mate, giving us the privacy I loved while still being accessible to everyone in the pack. It was only a 10 minute walk from Sue's house and not too far from the beach. There was plenty of space and I couldn't think of a better environment to raise a child. It was perfect.

I was snapped from my thoughts by Collin bursting through the woods, just as a howl sounded out from a faraway distance. My heart began racing as I grabbed Collin, demanding an explanation.

"It's time Jake." he said gasping for air. "Seth's gone up to the den with Paul & Leah. He's about to go into labor." he panted. I didn't hesitate, jumping off the deck and phasing immediately, the other 3 not far behind. It was time to welcome my baby girl into the world.

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_AN: Perfect time to end the chapter, right? We're in a bit of a transition period, but a child isn't made overnight haha. I also thought it was time to get Jake out of Sam's house haha. If you're gonna start a family, you need to have a good place to do it! Thanks for reading and I hope that you'll take the time to tell me what you thought!_


	17. Chapter 17

_AN: Yeah, I know. That was a pretty cruel spot to cut off the chapter. After a few chapters to get to that stage, I needed something dramatic to happen hehe. I just couldn't resist. Anyway, I appreciate those of you that took the time to review. I also am thankful for those of you that have favorited and alerted the story, as well as everyone else who reads it. Hope you enjoy this one!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

I crashed through the forest, slamming through any limbs and bushes that happened to be in my way. The thought of all finesse was out the window – not that it was really my strong suit anyway. I needed to make it to my mate.

"Jake, I need you to focus on me for a minute" I heard Seth force out. It was almost as if he was trying to speak through a cloud of static.

I slowed down, trying to do as he asked. "What is it, Seth? What can I do?" I whined. I should have been there with him. Why was I not there?

"Listen to me Jake. I'm going to disappear for a while. I've had some…communication with my wolf. This birth thing is going to be all wolf. It wants me to settle into the background so that it can get through this properly. I'm not going to be able to talk during, but if anything happens to me, I want you to promise me that you'll look after her." He said quietly.

"Seth…don't talk like that. You're going to be fine." I responded, suddenly a lot more nervous about this. The journals hadn't said that the parent hadn't survived the ordeal. No, it wasn't an option.

"Just promise me Jake! I love you." He pleaded urgently. I knew that it meant a lot to him.

"I promise Seth. I never want to have to think about it, but I will always look after her. I love you too" I whispered back. It was a promise that I wasn't completely sure I'd be able to fulfill, but I prayed that I'd never find out.

"See you on the other side." Seth responded. I watched through Paul's eyes as my imprint walked into the den, completely disconnecting his mind from me. I had only felt this separation from him once before and the memories were far from pleasant.

"We're watching over him. Just get your furry ass in gear so you can watch for yourself." Leah said kindly. I took her words to heart and pushed myself towards the den as quickly as I could.

I reached the clear patch in front of the den, glad to see two wolves crouched in defensive stances. As I began to pace in front of the entrance, a growl ripped out of my throat as I registered the sounds of others approaching. I quickly quieted down as I saw the members of my pack slowly approaching. Even Sam had closed up the shop for a day, and it was nice to have him nearby.

It wasn't long before painful whimpers began to be heard from the cave. I was ready to panic, but I knew better than to go in. The human side of me wanted nothing more than to go be beside Seth while he endured this. I knew, however, that Seth wasn't the one in control. His wolf didn't want anything near it, so the best we would be able to do is to protect the exterior until we were welcomed in.

Minutes turned into hours and my worry began to pick up. Occasionally an exceptionally loud whine would be heard and it was clear that his breathing was irregular. How long was Seth going to have to suffer? Feeling my unease, the pack began trying to distract me with other topics, but my mind always drifted back to my mate. It was Jared that finally was able to draw my mind out of the present.

"Hey Leah, remember the time that Seth was convinced that he wanted to live like Simba in the Lion King? I can't believe he actually ate a couple of worms and beetles. I couldn't stomach it, but I definitely cheered him on. He even managed the quote about it being 'Slimy yet satisfying' while he was starting to turn green. At least that won't be an issue he should have with a girl though" Jared chuckled.

"How could I forget that? Somehow I got blamed when the bugs made him sick. After their quick exit, he got sent to bed and I had to clean up the mess! I don't know why you always got to escape blame." Leah ranted playfully.

The two seemed to catch on to my interest. I had learned a lot of facts about Seth, but I didn't know about things that he had gone through. What had everyday life been like for him? Knowing full well that they were taking my mind away from the stress of the moment, they continued retelling stories from Seth's childhood.

"Don't even try and pin this all on me!" Jared responded. "If I remember right, you were the one that tried to convince Seth that he could fly. You called him Superman and even helped tie on a cape for him, assuring that it would give him super powers. I just happened to walk in as Seth decided to leap off the couch. He was a mess after his chin caught the coffee table on the way down" he continued.

"That was the maddest I had seen mom in years. After she got him stitched up, she kept you away from the house for weeks! You probably never heard, but Seth only got to visit you because he finally explained that I had given him the idea. I was grounded for a month because I didn't fess up when it happened" Leah laughed.

It was amusing to see all of these stories play out from their memories. Between Jared & Leah, I got to see the happiness and good vibes that had come off of Seth as a child. Sure, I could always sense his love and positive feelings for me, but he had gotten a lot more serious after his first phase. I understand though. Losing a parent will do that to a person.

The two of them continued the banter for a while. Not everything was happy, but it allowed me to truly see how things had been for all of them growing up. Seth had always been small and even though he hated it, those two had defended him from some of the bigger guys that liked to pick fights. Honestly, I was slightly surprised that they had never contemplated going out. They definitely spent a decent amount of time together growing up. I chuckled at the simultaneous denials from the pair and the growl that came from Embry at the suggestion.

A forced howl erupted out of the cave causing my hackles to rise immediately. I strained my ears, hoping to figure out if I needed to be in there, but there was nothing but silence. As I began to panic, a soft whimper began to sound. I knew immediately that it wasn't Seth. Even throughout this process I had been able to recognize everything he was doing.

After a moment, the whining died down, being replaced by a soft suckling sound. She was feeding. My baby girl was feeding from Seth. They were both alright. I felt a wave of relief roll over me, replaced quickly by an eagerness to be beside them.

"She's beautiful Jake" I heard as Seth's exhausted voice returned into our minds. I still couldn't see into his head, but he was slowly coming back to the surface. It took everything I had not to run inside and nuzzle him.

I moved slightly closer to the cave as Paul and Sam approached with a pair of deer. They offered one to me and as animalistic as it was, I quickly tore into it. We left the other at the opening of the cave and a few moments later Seth limped out to pull it back in. Before he did, however, he stopped, burying his face in my fur. I didn't question it, taking the opportunity to feel the fact that my mate was in fact here with me.

He quickly retreated back into the cave, taking his dinner with him. We were just going to have to wait for our girl to be ready to see the rest of us.

3 days passed and through it Seth was extremely quiet. I knew that he was focusing his attention on our cub, but I still missed being close to him. He was able to tell us when he needed food and it wouldn't be long before one of the pack brought something up. I never left the edge of the cave and every time food was brought they brought enough for both of us. Without them I would have never taken care of myself.

Everyone else was sleeping when I felt Seth's mind come fully into focus. It was the first time that I'd really been able to assess how he was and even though he was still tired, he was content and truly happy.

"Do you want to come in?" he asked warmly. I wasted no time, jumping to my feet immediately. He chuckled as I slowly walked in, not wanting to startle her if she was awake.

I quickly looked at the mocha colored furball that was wrapped up against my sandy wolf. She looked up at me with piercing brown eyes, not backing down from my large form. I lowered my head, quickly licking the pup's face in one swift movement, causing her to hide herself in Seth's fur. It was precious.

"Can you believe it? This is ours. We're a family." Seth said, resting his head on my paws. I effectively trapped our daughter between us, making sure that nothing got near her.

"I know. It's unlike anything I ever imagined" I mumbled. Seth quickly dozed and as tired as I was, I kept watch. Even with the pack outside, I didn't want to make a mistake. My heart swelled as I listened to the soft snores coming from both of them.

That morning our daughter woke up between us. I panicked as she tried to stand up only to collapse back down with a whine. I was confused as to what was going on until she let out a howl that quickly transformed into a cry as her body shifted into human form. Seth jerked up immediately, phasing in an instant to comfort her. I stood there watching them before Leah yelled at me to come get the clothes and blanket that she had brought.

A few hours later, our baby girl was ready to go home. I shifted back, helping Seth get dressed as we wrapped her in her blanket. She was sleeping as we exited the cave, greeted by all of our friends. Even Sue had found a way to make it up here. They all gathered around Seth who happily presented her to the pack. She was passed off to Sue and Leah first, finally opening her eyes at all of the commotion. This brought tears to Sue's eyes as she reluctantly passed her along for the others to see.

The pack all seemed interested in nuzzling her, their wolves sensing that she was one of their own. They familiarized themselves with her scent, committing it to memory as being part of the pack. Sam was in awe as he held her, chuckling as she wrapped her hand around one of his fingers.

Paul was the last one to hold her. He had always been a bit nervous and reluctant with kids, but he didn't want to be disrespectful. She settled in nicely in his arms before looking up at him. As their eyes met, I saw Paul's form tense up as he found himself locked into her gaze. Everyone tensed as they realized what was happening and Sam was able to take her from Paul's dazed form before I launched myself at him. There was no way that I was going to let him take her away from me!

A feral growl erupted as I pinned Paul to a tree by his throat. His arms offered no resistance as he stared into my eyes. My wolf wasn't going to stand for this. "Phase" I growled out, ordering his wolf to the surface so that we could punish it for daring to try and take our baby girl away.

"Stop Jake" I heard Sam call out as he approached.

I immediately snapped my head around to the pack. "Nobody interferes" I demanded through gritted teeth before transforming into my wolf.

Once again I launched myself at Paul. I quickly pinned him to the ground, but he was still refusing to fight me.

"Why did you have to do it!? Why!?" I called out to him. I was trying to rein myself in, but I wanted nothing more than to get rid of this threat.

"You know the answer to that Jake. We don't choose. I knew I felt a pull towards you and my instincts told me to help protect Seth. I always just assumed that it was just because you were the true Alpha, but I guess there was more to it than that. All I ask is that if you're so hell bent on keeping me away from her, just kill me. It's not worth living if I'm going to be forbidden from being in her life." He said, sounding eerily calm. I knew the wolf didn't want to die, but how could I allow him to take her from us?

"Could you try to be a little bit rational here? Do you not trust me at all? I don't want to take her from you. I want to be in her life. I know you need to be protective, but think about what Seth means to you. Your imprint means everything. Without him, life means nothing." He said, taking in a deep breath.

"You know how Quil thinks of Claire. Our thoughts aren't of a physical nature. We adore our imprints and want to do whatever we can to make their lives happy. We want them to be safe and protected. Is there a chance that it may someday turn into something romantic? Maybe, if that's what the imprint wants, but we're not sick fucks looking to be with toddlers. You of all people know what I've seen. I love your daughter, but I'm not twisted." He finished quietly as a flow of love and devotion poured out of him.

I sighed, quickly stepping off of Paul and allowing him to shake himself off. Paul had always been helpful to me, calming me and being supportive. I guess part of the draw might have been to his future imprint, but he was still a loyal wolf. I was ashamed that I had so quickly turned on him after what we had been through.

If anything, I should be glad to have someone like Paul imprint on her. He would never do anything to hurt her and would always have her best interests in mind. On top of that, I knew that Paul deserved this after overcoming his past. There was nothing bad about this, except for the way that I had acted of course.

I was brought out of my thoughts by a firm headbutt that left me seeing stars. Once I could see again, I looked up to see Paul with a wolfish grin on his face.

"You think too much" Paul chuckled, phasing back to human and pulling on another pair of shorts. He yipped at the others before coming back with another pair for me. I quickly phased and pulled them on, pulling Paul into a hug before we headed back to the others. It was a firm sign that I was going to be there for him, even if my wolf was still weary of the situation. It was just going to have to trust me.

We walked back to the others, a sigh of relief coming from everyone as the two of us walked back with my arm draped over his shoulder. Seth walked over with our daughter and I contained myself as she reached out to Paul, allowing him to take her in his grasp.

"What's my imprint's name?" he asked softly as he rocked her in his arms.

Seth and I shared a look before my imprint spoke up. We had discussed this before, but ultimately I had given him the final decision on what name to use.

"Her name is Rachel. Rachel Sarah Black" Seth murmured, running his hand along our daughter's face. Rachel had been a name that was important to him and I was glad that he had decided to honor my mother as well. A tear ran down my cheek as I thought about how much had changed since I lost my parents. I hoped that they'd be proud.

"Rachel…" Paul sighed softly. "She's beautiful." He whispered.

Seth tucked himself into my side and smiled as we watched the others join us in ogling at the now sleeping baby girl. She really was beautiful.

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_AN: Now, I recognize that the concept of imprinting on a child may not be something that everyone really likes. Still, since I eliminated Rachel as a sister and I wanted to do something for Paul, this was the most logical thing I could come up with. If that bothers you, sorry, but it's what I wanted to do. As always, I look forward to hearing from you all!_

_Also, I will likely go an extended period of time without updating (2-3 weeks, if not a little longer). I'm going to be on the road a lot for the next few weeks and won't have much (if any) time to write. The story isn't done, but it will take me a little while to get back to it. Hopefully it proves entertaining enough to hold your interest._


	18. Chapter 18

_AN: Hello everyone. Well, sadly I was right that it would take a while to get an update written for this one. Sorry for the wait, but I finally found some time to work on it. Thanks to everyone who took the time to review, as well as those that alerted & favorited the story. I always enjoy hearing from you. All right, let's get to the chapter. Enjoy! _

_Disclaimer: I own nothing. _

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**Jake's POV**

I took Rachel from Paul's arms, giving him a stern look as he failed to suppress a growl at my approach. I probably should've been bothered by how much his protectiveness was bordering on possessiveness, but I cut him some slack…for now. The imprint was fresh and as calm as he was earlier, I knew how much of an emotional roller-coaster he was going through.

We began walking down from the den, electing to take things slow rather than scaring our daughter with the speed that we could reach. I was feeling a little nervous too. As much as I wanted Seth to see our new home, I was afraid that he might not like it. I know he'd never say anything negative to my face, but I was worried that it might not live up to his expectations.

There was also the issue of actually asking him to move in with me. I know that we were now parents together, but would he think it was too soon or that I was only doing this because I felt obligated? I actually wanted to put together a life for us, but I didn't want him to think I was only doing it because of our daughter.

And then there was his family. Leah obviously knew what I was doing, but I hadn't actually told Sue. I had come to care a lot about her. Would she hate me for taking her son out from under her roof? I'm guessing that the imprint was probably responsible for some of my uncertainty, but I really didn't want to mess this up.

The pack kept up a chatter that, when combined with how wrapped up Seth was in watching our daughter when I passed her over to him, kept him completely distracted from where we were walking. Within an hour or so we had reached the gravel driveway in front of the house. Seth looked up to see my Jeep still sitting there before curiously glancing over to the house.

"I don't think I've ever seen this place before" he said, an obvious interest in his voice.

"This is the place I was talking about at dinner a while back. It's what I've been working on for the past while. Wanna take a look at it?" Embry asked, completely keeping his cool.

"Don't you think the owners will be mad about you bringing strangers in? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with your company." Seth replied. Even in small instances, Seth's care for others always shined through.

"Naw, that shouldn't be an issue. Nobody is living in it yet and the owners shouldn't have a problem with me showing you guys the place" he responded with a smirk before punching Quil who was barely containing his laughter.

"Sure then. Looks like a pretty cool place and from what you said about it, I have a feeling that it'll look awesome inside too" my imprint responded, smiling as we walked up the steps and opened the front door.

As we entered, I was surprised to see that there was a lot of furniture setup that hadn't been here a few days before. A nice leather couch, loveseat, and recliner surrounded a coffee table facing the fireplace in the living room. There was an obvious place to mount a television whenever I went and got one. There was also a nice dining room set, pretty much making the place ready to live in.

Seth listened to everything that Embry & Quil told him about the place, enjoying hearing about how everything came together. He piped in about certain things that really stood out as impressive, but had nothing negative to say as we ventured upstairs.

Quil opened the door to the master bedroom, earning an appreciative gasp from everyone who hadn't seen it in its final form. Seth was just as amazed by the bathroom as I had been and expressed how jealous he was of whoever got to live here. We scoped out the last bedroom on the top floor and I was surprised to find it full of baby things. A crib, rocking chair, and changing table were elegantly arranged, along with a shelf system that was full of necessities. Sue caught my eye, a look of understanding beginning to dawn on her. As everyone ventured back down, she lingered behind as we fell into step at the back.

"I'm glad he has someone like you to take care of him" she whispered, pulling me into a hug as a tear trickled from her eye. At least I didn't have to worry about her being bothered.

"So, I guess there's only one last thing to say about this place" Quil stated as everyone made their way to the deck.

"Seth, you've always been someone who gave without asking for anything in return. You've been there for each of us at some point in time, always bringing a smile to our faces when you came around. We hope you like this place. It's our gift to you and Jake as you start your new lives together." Embry stated as Sue took Rachel from Seth.

"Wha…what?" Seth stuttered out.

"You heard him. This place is yours. Don't get me wrong, we didn't finance it, but between the Pack, Cullens, and our company, we got the place built. We just hope you like it" Quil said with a smile.

It took no time at all for Seth to pull both of them into a hug, his emotions getting the best of him. What they all had done for us was worthy of any appreciation we could give them. We both went around, embracing everyone in the pack.

"So…" I spoke up as Seth wiped his eyes to clear the tears out from them.

"I know this may seem a little crazy to ask at this point, but will you move in with me?" I asked, feeling shy for the first time in as long as I can remember. My response was Seth pulling me down into a kiss, asserting an unusual amount of dominance.

"Yes, Jake. Of course I want to live with you. Thank you for this" he whispered as he rested his forehead against mine. All the nerves seemed to fade away finally as he held me to him.

I quickly found myself in alert mode as I heard a vehicle approaching, relaxing when I realized it was Emily in Sam's truck. The grill had been loaded into the back and as we approached, we saw a mountain of food that needed to be cooked.

"I figured that it made more sense to do this over here" she laughed, pulling Seth into an embrace. I couldn't agree more and was happy to help offload the grill and bring it around to the deck. I looked forward to cooking for everyone, even if it was only a small showing of my appreciation for their hard work.

For the next few hours, I stood by the grill with Seth and Rachel nearby. I couldn't help but smile as I took in the sight around me. I had a family. Sure, we may not all be related, but each one of them was a brother. Sue had treated me like one of her own and everyone else had become extremely important to me over the past year. I was so much happier than I ever thought I would be.

The hours went by and people finally decided to call it a night. Everyone had been on edge with the pregnancy and many of them were looking forward to getting a good night's rest for the first time in a week...or weeks. After loading the grill back into Sam's truck we bid them farewell. Paul seemed to be hesitating from getting in the truck with them. Seth looked over at me, a slightly pleading look in his eyes. I simply nodded, knowing that it would be cruel to do otherwise.

"Hey Paul. I know that being away from your imprint is a horrible feeling. If you'd like to, we'd be happy to have you stay here for however long you want." Seth said as walked up to the bothered wolf.

"I don't want to impose on you guys. This is your new home. You don't have to cater to me" he mumbled back.

"Paul, I don't want this to sound like I'm trying to use your imprint to my advantage, but I'd be completely open to you moving into the spare bedroom." I said quietly. Although I believed that the imprint would definitely help him from dwelling too much on his parents, I knew that it wasn't a pain that simply vanished. I trusted him not to do anything rash, but I still wanted to be there for him if he needed to talk.

"What? You can't be serious Jake. I could never ask that of you" he responded frantically.

"Listen, Paul. I know that it'll be better for you to not be forced apart from her. I'm aware that I responded a bit harshly at first, but I know that you'd do anything for her. I want you to do whatever makes you happy. Not to mention, what kind of father would I be if I was against having someone around that would protect their child without hesitation?" I said carefully. I didn't want this to seem like a handout or that I wanted to make him feel obligated to say yes. After all of the help he had been at the shop and keeping my thoughts in line, I owed him the option.

"I…I think I'd like that." He said softly. I nodded before pulling him into a hug, earning a nod from Sam as he got in the truck and backed out. Maybe it was an alpha thing or simply the fact that Paul and I had become close, but I wanted to do whatever I could for him and looked forward to having him close.

That night we rocked Rachel until she finally fell asleep. After placing her in her crib, Seth and I headed to our bedroom while Paul went downstairs. We were all exhausted after an eventful day.

"So, is this what you were doing instead of going to the shop?" Seth asked with a yawn as we stripped down to our boxers.

"Yeah. I hated keeping a secret from you, but I wanted to surprise you." I said, planting a kiss on his forehead before we lay down.

"Thank you, Jake. I can't imagine anything more perfect. I love you." he murmured as he curled up against me and rested his head on my chest. I gently stroked his hair until he began snoring softly. That peacefulness was all it took to lull me to sleep.

* * *

I fought the urge to phase after being suddenly awakened by a loud shriek coming from the other room. Somehow Seth managed to sleep through it all. I guess I couldn't blame him though. Throughout the pregnancy and birthing process, he hadn't really been able to sleep regularly. He needed to catch up. I pulled myself out from under him as I heard loud steps coming up the stairs and met Paul in the hallway, a panicked look filling his eyes. We quickly made our way into the bedroom, both exhaling as we realized that there was nothing in the room.

Walking over to the crib, I carefully picked Rachel up, trying to shush her. Paul watched on as she slowly quieted down in my arms. I guessed that she might be hungry so I passed her off to Paul and made my way downstairs to heat up a bottle that Sue had had the foresight to make up for us.

I entered the room quietly, enamored by the sight of Paul rocking my baby girl. They both looked truly at peace, which is something I hadn't seen in Paul before. He was more than just coping with things. For the first time, he had something to truly live for. Rachel's safety and happiness was worth everything to the wolf.

Paul handed Rachel back to me and I rocked her gently as she took to the bottle quickly. She finished after a few minutes and after burping her, I gently sat her back in the crib and made sure that she was tucked in properly.

"So…were you as close to phasing as I was?" I asked as we exited the room.

A look of relief washed over Paul's face. "Man…I'm glad you admitted it. I was afraid that I was the only one who reacted that way." He chuckled.

We parted ways, going to our respective rooms. Seth was quick to cuddle up to me again and I was a bit jealous of his ability to sleep through something like that. I just hoped that the middle of the night heart attacks could be kept to a minimum.

* * *

A couple of nights later I was able to talk to Embry while we patrolled. Apparently they had had leftover money from the lump sum I had given them at the beginning and rather than pay it back, he and Quil decided to just buy some things that we'd need. He had been shopping with Sue to get the things for Rachel's room, which is what clued her in when we had explored the house. They had even bought another set of the essentials for her house. I still hadn't stopped thanking them for all of their thoughtfulness throughout the process and I wasn't sure that I could ever show how grateful I was for their help.

Sue was a godsend to us. Now that I had returned to working at the shop, Seth spent a lot of his time with his mother. He was learning a lot about what he needed to do as a parent and would relay anything important to me. They discussed the future and Sue volunteered to take care of Rachel during the days for us. She was already planning on retiring and really wanted to play a role in her granddaughter's life. She also insisted that Seth return to school. She wasn't ecstatic that I had dropped out, but wouldn't even consider the thought of Seth stopping. I agreed with her and after an initial argument about it, Seth resigned himself to the fact that he'd be finishing his last couple of years.

Seth and I went to his house to pack his belongings that first weekend. Sue was sad that he was moving out, but they still saw each other daily. We were also only a few minutes away if she needed anything. Considering that she insisted on cooking dinner for us a few nights a week, it was almost as if Seth hadn't moved out at all. Having his room cleared out simply made it easier to store all of Rachel's things.

Weeks passed and we set ourselves into a normal routine as school began again. Most of the pack that had graduated worked at the shop now. Jared and Paul were learning a lot from the older mechanics while I listened mostly to Sam. On days where he didn't have patrol, Brady came in to help out and earn a few bucks.

Paul and I were both dealing with the annoyance of spending a lot more time away from our imprints. During the pregnancy I had had the house to keep my mind at ease at being separated from Seth for longer periods and before then we had always been near each other at school. Paul's first day away from Rachel had made him antsy (to put it lightly), but he fought the urge to run over to Sue's at lunch. It wasn't easy, but Sam and Jared helped to keep us distracted, both having learned how to cope with long hours away from their other halves.

Weeks turned into months and we watched as our baby girl quickly grew. We knew that the first few years held the most growth, but it was astonishing to see her progress. Sue chuckled every time we would talk about how much she had grown in a month, constantly reminding us that it was the way things were. It prompted her to pull out photo albums of Seth and Leah as they grew, much to the delight of me and Embry. The Clearwater siblings weren't quite so happy about their mother's trips down memory lane.

Things were definitely beginning to seem normal, or at the very least, normal for humans. The younger members of the pack went to school while the rest of us worked. I had even heard Sam and Jared talking about finally giving up phasing so that they could live out normal lives with their imprints. As the first ones to phase, I guess I could understand wanting to put it in the past. Plus, with human imprints, they had a lot more incentive to give it up. Having Seth as my other half meant that I didn't have to worry about him growing old without me.

All of that ground to a screeching halt in early November. Sam and I were doing a loose patrol when he picked up on something familiar that he couldn't quite place. Not wanting to take a risk, he gave out a summoning howl, drawing everyone but Seth into our wolf forms. Paul asked if he should get Seth to take Rachel to Sue, but we decided to see what was going on first.

The nine of us followed the path before an overwhelming scent of copper filled the air. There was a faint scent of leech in the air, but it was overpowered by the amount of blood that we could smell, which was a scary thought. We quickly picked up the pace, needing to figure out what was going on.

We finally came to a clearing and were startled by what we saw. It was obvious that a battle had taken place here. There was smoke rising from a pile of vampire pieces. Nearby were the bodies of several natives. Only one of them was conscious, but his wounds were quickly taking their toll on him. This pack had taken quite a beating in trying to defend themselves.

All of us phased, trying to see the extent of the injuries. I ran up to the conscious one to try and see if he could tell us anything, but he was in shock. The pup looked to be 14 or 15 at most and it wasn't long before he completely blacked out. I quickly turned my attention to seeing if there was anything we could do to help them here.

There were six pack members including a female shifter, all of whom were beaten, broken, and bleeding, but still breathing for the moment. I pulled my cell phone out, knowing only one person that could actually make a difference. I called Carlisle's direct number, getting an answer immediately.

"Carlisle, we have an emergency. We just came across a pack on our land. They seem to have some major injuries. Is there anything you can do to help them?" I asked urgently. I was glad that we had a good enough relationship with the family to ask them for something like this. It would have been all too easy to let stubborn prejudices get in the way.

"Sure, Jake. Can you transport them to one of your houses? It'll be easier for me to work in a more stable environment." Carlisle explained.

"Yeah, we'll take them to Sam's. He's got the closest house and should be able to facilitate them all." I said, my Beta nodding in agreement. "Oh, and feel free to bring anyone across the boundary that you trust and is willing to help" I said.

"Thanks, Jake. We'll be there shortly. If you could, call Sue as well. If it's as bad as you say, every knowledgeable hand will be needed." Carlisle finished, disconnecting before I could say anything else.

"Everyone, take someone you can carry. Be as gentle as you can." I instructed before calling Sue. She agreed to meet us at Sam's with as many supplies as she could muster without any questions.

Sam and I supported the largest of them while the rest of our pack found a way to transport the others. Realization struck me as I looked down at the face of the likely Alpha. It was the same man that had led the attack on us when we were going against Victoria. He definitely looked like he had gone through a lot since then. He was a lot thinner and didn't look healthy, even once you ignored all of the bruises and cuts. My curiosity piqued, but that was unimportant at the moment.

We got to the house, glad to see several cars already pulled up. Carlisle was unloading several sturdy tables from the jeep that Emmett normally drove. With him were Alice, Edward, and Esme. I wasn't surprised that those three would be the most capable of controlling themselves and the most willing to help.

In the few minutes since their arrival, the Cullens had already turned Sam's living room into a makeshift hospital area. The tables were all arranged and a pile of supplies from Sue and Carlisle were in the corner. They helped us to bring in the wounded wolves, giving each one a table as they quickly began to assess the damage.

Sue and Carlisle kept their cool as they went from table to table, figuring out who needed the most help. Ed seemed to be doing the same, likely drawing from the doctor's mind as to what needed to be done. After a few moments, Carlisle began instructing those with knowledge of medicine on what to do. Leah and Sue quickly followed the instructions and I realized that Leah had been learning a lot from her mother. The rest of us did whatever was instructed, which mainly meant restraining the wolves while Carlisle reset bones or keeping pressure on things when the others were doing more intricate work, only pausing to call Seth and tell him not to worry about me.

After an hour or so, we had finally stabilized the wolves. All of them were hooked to IVs to pump in nutrients, hopefully meaning that their bodies would be able to heal faster. Carlisle and the rest of the Cullens prepared to take their leave, insisting that they'd return if they were needed. Carlisle worried that the wolves wouldn't want to find a bunch of vampires around when they woke up and I had to admit that he was probably right.

Just as the family was beginning to pile into their cars, Alice froze mid-stride. Everyone gazed at her curiously as she had one of her visions. The intensity of it was enough to cause her to drop to a knee, immediately drawing the worried attention of the others.

"What is it? What did you see?" I asked nervously.

Rather than Alice, it was Ed that spoke up. "Honestly Jake, we're not sure. The vision showed lots of bodies, both vampire and wolf. We couldn't see the cause though. There's only one thing that's certain." He said as they helped Alice into the car.

"What's that?" I asked, slightly afraid of the answer.

"Something's coming. Something big that we've never encountered and right now we have no idea what we can do to prepare ourselves for it." He said darkly.

Ominous statements like that made me quickly miss the quiet.

* * *

_AN: Well, this chapter officially makes "The Broken Alpha" the longest story I've ever written. I didn't really think that this was going to be such a long story when it started, but it's still got a few chapters left before it's done. I hope that you all continue to find it entertaining and worth the read and I look forward to hearing from those of you who choose to review. Hopefully it won't be quite so long before the next one is ready, but you never know what'll happen. As always, thanks for reading!_


	19. Chapter 19

_AN: Well, so much for not taking long on getting another chapter out. The holidays kinda took up a lot of time. I hope that those of you that celebrate something had a good holiday season. Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and alerted the story. The reviews dropped a bit, which saddens me, but I do appreciate the interest that some of you still have in the fic. Hope you enjoy the chapter! As a warning, it contains a bit of M-rated material._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

* * *

**Jake's POV**

With the lack of any definite knowledge on what was coming, we did the only thing we could: wait. Everyone was restless, both with the expectation that something was coming and with the fact that we were caring for the pack that many of them thought should have been killed. I just hoped that my decision to spare them hadn't come back to bite me.

After 2 days, the wolves were beginning to come around. I was surprised that the youngest of the bunch was the first one awake, but I guess his injuries hadn't been quite as severe as the others'. He outright refused to talk to anyone though, choosing to instead sit silently beside the female shifter. I could only guess, but from the way he was watching her I had a feeling that the pup was her imprint.

The others began recovering as well, all in different states of disorientation. One of them looked to be on the verge of a panic attack when he realized that his arm was strapped down. Leah quickly explained that it was to help prevent the IV being ripped out, fortunate to have calmed him down before he phased in the house.

All-in-all, it was a long wait, as no one seemed to be willing to talk without their Alpha approving it. I was there when he woke up and was ready to laugh at the look of shock that came over him when he realized where he was.

"It's you!" he exclaimed, putting his wolves on high alert.

"Hey now, calm down. I only want to know what you were doing back here. I get the feeling that things are a bit different from the last time we met." I said, holding my arms up in a placating gesture.

His imprint walked up to him, resting a hand on his shoulder before whispering something to him. I caught a few words and was pretty sure that he was explaining that we'd been helping the pack for the past couple days. I saw the alpha visibly relax, further proving just how much an imprint's touch can calm us. By this point Sam, Paul, and Seth had all made their presences known, making me feel slightly more confident that we'd be alright if something went down. I hoped that it wasn't going to come to that though.

"So…do you want to tell me what happened?" I asked, but I think we all knew that it wasn't really question.

"It's a long story." He began. I sat down to prove a point, earning a snort from him.

"I guess this all begins with the last time we were here, hoping to get the support of your female shifter. After her rant, we decided to do some research into our older histories. We unfortunately don't have anyone who knows the more intricate legends in our tribe, as it had been over 4 generations since the last pack. We were able to get into the library's collection, however, and went through all of the stories about imprinting. It was there that we discovered what she had been saying: that it was actually possible for my imprint to get pregnant. Safe to say that we were shocked, but there were detailed accounts of a previous alpha succeeding in passing his genes down in that way." He explained, taking a deep breath as he prepared to continue.

"So, we decided to try. I wanted a child and so did Jace" he said, indicating the boy at his side. "After a few weeks of no success, he went into heat. We were ecstatic the first time he phased afterward. His wolf was actually a female and for the first time, we were sure he was carrying. A couple of months later and he gave me my son." He said, pride swelling at the memory.

"I actually understand what you mean on that one. We weren't prepared for it, but we actually went through the same thing with Seth. He gave me a daughter this past summer." I responded.

"It's a great feeling, knowing that you've brought another life into this world." He commented, earning a nod.

"Now, imagine her being taken away from you." The wolf said bitterly. Just the thought of it made Paul growl.

"What happened?" Seth chimed in.

"A month ago we were mourning the loss of Brian, our beta. You may remember him as the fourth wolf that was with us before. His imprint had been killed in an accident and it wasn't long before he followed after her. While my parents were watching our son, we were attacked by a handful of vampires. They drew us from the funeral, preventing those who didn't know about what they were from seeing." He began, his imprint gripping his hand more tightly as the story went.

"These weren't normal leeches though. They all had powers that went far beyond anything we had seen. One of them single-handedly paralyzed the entire pack. Another generated a pain in me that was so strong that it made death seem like an escape. All of this allowed for a brute of a tracker to quickly make his way into the village and find my son, snatching him from the house before my mother even realized that there had been an intruder." He growled.

I shared a look with Sam who was clearly thinking the same thing as I was. There was only one coven that we knew had the power to pull off such an organized attack with so few vampires. That sounded like the same pair that had attacked me in the woods.

"And so, we began our search. Having our son stripped from us led to depression. Neither of us could eat, but we began to venture out, knowing that we wouldn't be able to just let those bloodsuckers take him. Jace and I expected to do this alone, but our pack was already prepared when we set out. I couldn't ask for a better group than them." He continued quietly.

"We weren't really paying attention to whose land we were on and eventually we were ambushed by a nomadic group of leeches. They outnumbered us and we were all tired from the drawn out search. We were able to kill them, but they did a number on us all. I'm sure that many of us wouldn't be here without your help, and for that I want to thank you." He finished, capping off his tragic tale.

"To a certain extent, I can understand your pain. We had two imprints taken in the battle against Victoria. But to have your child taken…I just don't know how we could deal with that." I said softly. These guys really had had it rough.

"That being said, if my hunch is right, you're not going to find that coven here" I said cautiously.

"You know who they are!?" Jace exclaimed, speaking up for the first time.

"I think your son was taken by the Volturi." I replied. At everyone's clueless looks, I realized that I'd need to explain further.

"The Volturi are the leaders of the vampire world. They keep everyone in line and have some of the strongest vampires in their ranks. Everyone has a power and no one dares to stand against them." I explained.

"Where are they!?" the Alpha responded, completely ignoring the warning of who he was going up against. To be honest, I would probably react the same way though.

"Uh…probably in their fortress in Italy" I said, rubbing the back of my head. The pair let that piece of knowledge sink in before both of them broke down. I wanted to help them, but from what Carlisle had said, there was no way that we could assault the stronghold. That was just suicide, especially when we had no idea what they were doing.

The pack closed ranks around their leader, obviously at a loss for what to do. They wanted to recover their lost member, but there's only so much you can do. Eventually the two pulled themselves together and we offered to let them rest here until they had an idea of what they were going to do.

Under Sam's assurance that they'd take care of – and keep an eye on – the visiting pack, Seth and I went home. Sue was taking care of Rachel and Paul had the night patrol with Embry. We had the house to ourselves and I intended on making the night special for my imprint. Tonight was an important night after all.

* * *

Walking into the house, I immediately started on dinner, telling Seth to relax. The fact that he chose to unwind by watching me was amusing, but I think we both needed the closeness after hearing the alpha's story.

It wasn't long before the house was filled with the smell of spices. The garlic bread was toasting in the oven, a giant pot was full of boiling water and noodles, and my mom's special blend of spices was lacing the sauce. I didn't cook particularly often – at least without a grill – but what I did know came from my mom.

Seth and I chatted idly, him watching as I set the table and carried on with my cooking, refusing his help. I wanted to treat him. I even went as far as to light a candle and dim the lights in the dining room.

As everything finished, I felt a set of arms wrap around me as Seth rested his head between my shoulder blades. It was weird, but I actually felt protected in his grasp. I was used to holding Seth that way.

Turning around in his grasp, I brought the tasting spoon to his lips. He opened quickly, groaning at the flavor before licking his lips. I could feel his excitement pressing up against me, causing me to smirk as I peeled myself from his arms and moved the food to the table.

This may have been the corniest thing ever, but I was enjoying trying to be a romantic. We sat across from each other, our large amount of food spread across the table. Watching Seth's face in the unsteady light of the candle made him look even more precious to me. He was mine and nothing was going to ever change that. I didn't take my eyes off of him as we talked, his voice never failing to make me smile. We had gotten in the habit of exchanging childhood stories at times when we were together like this. I'm sure we could have been more efficient and just phased, but I don't think either of us would have gotten quite as much out of it.

After the meal, we cleaned up before heading upstairs. I was still nervous, but I wanted to make tonight special for him. I pulled him on top of me, slowly bringing him closer for a kiss. It was slow, tender, and emotional, rather than the lust-driven ones that would likely pick up later.

"Do you realize what tonight is?" I asked him once we broke apart.

"Uh…should I?" he asked, blushing slightly at the fact the he obviously had no clue.

"A year ago today, we were driving back from Massachusetts. This is the anniversary of when you showed me what you truly thought about us. When you gave yourself to me. And maybe most importantly, it was a year ago that I was blessed with the joy of imprinting on you." I said, bringing his forehead to mine.

"Jake…I should have known" he whined quietly before I silenced him with a peck on the lips.

"So, I want to make tonight special for you. I want to give you the option of making love to me." I said, battling back the agitation my wolf was feeling at the idea.

"Jake…that goes against everything you represent." He said, shocked.

"No. Everything I represent is making you happy." I whispered, pulling him closer before continuing.

"Don't lie to me and say that you don't want to. I heard Collin admitting to Brady that he talked to you about them switching it up. He even seemed sad that you'd never get to experience that because you were with me, knowing that you'd never ask despite the interest that had been in your eyes. I want you to get to know what it feels like and I know that you'll take care of me." I said, looking him in the eyes. I could see the worry, but I could also see the desire. I had no intention of caving to this often, but he deserved to know what it was like and I definitely wasn't going to let him experience that with anyone else.

His slight nod was all it took for me to slowly grind up into him, immediately causing him to strain against his jeans. After a few minutes of teasing him, he pulled away from me with a growl. He tugged his shirt off, urging me to do the same. My chest exposed, he quickly went to work, placing kisses along it before taking my nipple into his mouth. He had long since discovered just how sensitive they were and never failed to give them both some attention, grinning as I writhed under him.

We quickly removed our pants, tired of being restricted. Seth immediately pressed himself back down against me, stretching his entire body on top of mine. We were both rock hard and I moaned as he took us both in his hand, slowly stroking us together as he supported himself with his other arm.

It wasn't long before he began to lower himself down my body, licking a trail down the center of my chest. I ran my hands through his hair as he licked down my shaft and began paying attention to my balls. He slowly worked his way back up my aching member, taking me completely to the base. He was using all of the techniques he knew drove me wild, swiping his tongue at the most sensitive spots as he bobbed back up, keeping only the head in his mouth. Fuck he was good at this.

I heard the pop of the lube cap and watched as he smeared it on his fingers and began coating my entrance. He went with the same method I had, using his mouth to distract me from the slow push he was making with his finger. After a moment, I was finally able to relax a bit and he slid his finger in to the first knuckle before pausing. Feeling less resistance, he was able to bottom out.

It wasn't what I'd call painful, but it felt odd having something there. When he added the second finger, I felt a jolt of pain, causing me to tense. Seth looked at me worriedly, but I nodded at him to continue once I had calmed down. He continued to suck before finally getting both of his fingers inside. It was uncomfortable being stretched, but after a minute or so he curled them and…holy shit whatever that was felt amazing. He smirked at how I jumped before gently rubbing the bundle of nerves that caused the ecstasy.

After deeming me well enough stretched, Seth pulled his fingers out. I grabbed the lube from him, slowly working it onto him. I felt guilty for having paid him no attention yet, but I hoped that was I was offering to him was enough to make it worth it for him.

He positioned himself at my entrance, slowly applying pressure before the head slipped in. It burned, but I tried to keep myself relaxed as he slowly made his way in. All the while I was having to fight back my wolf, who was clearly not happy about what I was letting happen. We were both gasping – most likely not from the same emotions – when he bottomed out inside me, his balls resting against my ass. It didn't feel amazing, but the look on Seth's face made it worth it to me. He stroked my thighs lightly, doing his best to make this a good experience for me as well.

Looking up, I nodded for Seth to continue. He began to work his way slowly in and out, building his tempo. He had gripped my cock between us, his hand moving in the same rhythm as his hips. After altering his angle just slightly, I saw stars, groaning as he began to strike my prostate with every thrust.

"It's so tight and hot, Jake. I'm not gonna last long" he panted as he picked up his pace.

"Me too. I'm close" I warned.

He leaned over, capturing me between our chests. When he took my nipple back into his mouth and bit down lightly, I completely lost it, spilling my seed between us with a loud moan. My ass clenched around Seth and a few strokes later I felt him pouring his essence inside of me.

We held each other before he slowly pulled out. Taking on the more dominant role, he went and grabbed a wash cloth and cleaned us as I remained sprawled out on the bed. He quickly joined me, curling against my side in his normal position.

"Thank you for that. I don't expect you to let me do that often or maybe ever again, but I can't express just how much it meant to me that you were willing to let me experience it." He said softly, pulling me into a kiss. He knew how difficult it was for me to let him take me, but he had made it as pleasant as possible.

"I love you Seth. Making you happy is all that matters" I responded, pulling him against me. We laid there listening to each other's heartbeat before sleep finally took over.

* * *

I was awoken suddenly by the sound of my phone buzzing on the nightstand. I glanced over at the clock, groaning when I realized that it was just after 3 am.

"Hello?" I asked groggily, not even bothering to check the caller information.

"Jake, we have a problem." Edward's voice sounded on the other end of the line. It always took me a minute to tell when something was urgent. He always seemed eerily calm.

"What is it, Ed?" I asked, feeling a lot more awake.

"You remember Alice's vision, right? Well, there's still a lot of haze, but we figured out part of it." Edward responded.

"Will you quit being so damn vague?" I barked, startling Seth out of his sleep.

"It's the Volturi." He said simply. He knew that I didn't need much more explanation after dealing with Jane and Alec directly.

"So, the royal leeches are finally coming back. How long do we have?" I asked, wondering how much time we had to prepare for the war that was bound to come. Edward had long ago explained that although it wasn't the normal sense of the term "immortal child", Renesmee was still considered a threat to their kind. She was a born vampire, a concept that no one truly understood, and at times her young mind made it difficult for the Cullens to control her. They hoped that as she aged – which was happening at an accelerated rate – that she'd become more stable. Fortunately there hadn't been a slipup yet, but we all knew that the Volturi didn't want to take the risk.

"Actually, we're already here." A voice in the background replied with the slam of a door. I heard Edward growl out the names of Jane and Alec. Then the line went dead.

* * *

_AN: Sometimes I like to change things up a bit. Hopefully switching the traditional roles didn't bother you too much, but it felt right. I can tell you that I still have a couple twists left in the story, so don't worry about me being too predictable hehe. Also, I recognize that this was a bit of an informational chapter, but the action will pick up shortly. As always, I look forward to hearing from those of you that take the time to review. Thanks for reading and I hope it won't be too long before the next one!_


	20. Chapter 20

_AN: Hello all. It's been a while. Sorry for taking so long, but between dealing with personal issues and a general lack of motivation to write, it took a while to get this chapter together. I want to thank the few of you that chose to review. It's always great to hear from you. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

I ran down the stairs, Seth trailing right behind me. We both phased as soon as we were out the door. Wasting no time, I let out a deafening howl as I began my push towards the Cullen property. In a matter of seconds all of the pack was in my head and I relayed the fact that the Volturi had arrived. No one questioned the fact that we were diving into the unknown in order to try and help the coven that had become so important to us. I was surprised to see several other wolves flanking us and was glad to see the other pack so willing to help, even if they didn't know what they were walking into.

We made it to the Cullen manor, expecting to see it in chaos. Although the tension was palpable, there was an eerie silence that filled the air. About 25 cloaked figures stood to the side, but Carlisle and Edward were waiting for us on the porch. Before I could even question what was going on, Carlisle spoke up.

"Jacob, if you and your pack would phase, we have some business to discuss. I appreciate you rushing to our aid, but they didn't come here to fight us. There's an urgent matter that could endanger everyone though." The doctor stated calmly.

Edward walked over to us with a bundle of jeans and I realized that none of us seemed to have prepared for needing clothes, completely caught off guard that we weren't fighting. I accepted them before approaching the other alpha.

"Listen to me. I need you to stay calm. If you lash out, you could get us all killed." I said firmly.

"I don't really enjoy the prospect of being around so many leeches, but we will do what we can to honor your treaty." He responded.

"There's one more thing I need to mention though" I said, rubbing the back of my head. "The cloaked figures around us are all part of the Volturi guard. I know you want to kill them all, but we have to find out what's going on and there's no way we can fight them all right now. I promise you that if there's any way for us to get your son back, I will do what I can to help, but I need you to let me handle this." I said.

He began trembling, his anger rising to the surface. I had a feeling that he was about to phase, but I couldn't just let him walk in and see Alec & Jane without warning. "Tyler, calm down. I know that we vowed to hunt them down, but this isn't the place. Jake has helped us too many times to endanger his pack like this." Jace said as he grabbed his imprint's bicep. It was only then that I realized that I hadn't known his name, but that seemed irrelevant at the time. He calmed slightly and although his jaw remained clenched, he nodded at me to indicate that he was in control. That taken care of, we marched into the Cullen household.

Sitting in a living room with Alec, Jane, and a handful of the Volturi guard was not what I had envisioned when I got here as fast as possible. Still, I put myself between the packs and cloaked vampires, not completely sure what to expect.

"Give me back my son" Tyler growled out, still trembling behind me.

"Actually…he's part of why we're here. There's been a…miscalculation of sorts." One of the others replied.

Jane stepped forward, taking the floor. "As all of the wolves here know, we decided to kidnap the Alpha's son. Aro had the belief that capturing a true Alpha, one that had been birthed by a pair of wolves, would give him power." She began.

"Aro hoped that he could use the dog to gain power among other packs. Since he would undoubtedly be an Alpha, he would have the ability to take control of other packs by killing their leader. Obviously that claim would only hold if he did it himself, so it was our intention to build the strongest wolf imaginable. It made sense to use a true purebred." She continued, the obvious disdain for us "dogs" seeping through her words.

"But why would you take a mere child? It's not like he'd be able to do anything for years!" I heard Jace cry out.

"Well, years mean absolutely nothing to us. However, we found a powerful ancient vampire that had the ability to transfer the essence of life. He's capable of returning some to their youth by removing the effects of passing time, but he can also add those years to others. Manipulating time in a manner such as that isn't normally useful to us since we could care less about humans, but it proved handy here. We aged the boy to adulthood." She went on, smirking at the shocked faces of his parents.

"So…I still don't see why you're here." I stated, slightly confused. Sounds like they had succeeded, which couldn't mean anything good for us.

"Well, when he was at full strength, we decided that the easiest way to grant him more power would be to turn him. Aro, Caius, and Marcus mixed their venom and injected it directly into the wolf's heart. It had never been tried before, so we wondered if we could create a true wolf-vampire hybrid. If so, he would be the ultimate weapon. He'd still be a wolf that could challenge Alphas but he'd be so much stronger in both forms." Her brother stated. The pack had to restrain Jace and Tyler as the knowledge that their son had been subjected to horrible experiments sunk in.

"The problem is that we succeeded. The venom of three of the most powerful vampires was enough to partially override the wolf's normal immune system. We created a vampire that could shift into what looks more like the true sense of a Child of the Moon. He walked on two feet and had a presence unlike anything else. He would rip through any of the guards sent in to feed him, which thrilled Aro. He had created his master weapon." Jane spat.

"He couldn't be controlled, however. He destroyed his cage and as he prowled, we learned firsthand that he was immune to our powers. We had created something beyond our understanding. And…well, Aro, Caius, Marcus and all of the top tier of our coven are gone. He still seemed to understand that we were an enemy, so he destroyed them all. That leaves us as the leaders of the Volturi." Jane finished, looking up at us with a smirk. Even if she hated to see her leaders destroyed, she basked in the power.

"So, you created your own downfall. Sounds good to me. I don't really see a problem at all." I said, earning nods from the packs.

"He's still part vampire. He requires blood as well as human food and has developed quite a taste for humans as food. You see, we created your enemy as well. If you value protecting your secret and the lives of those in your community, you'll have to take care of him as well." She said smugly, feeling as if she had me backed into a corner.

"So, you expect us to help you kill our own child!?" Tyler shouted in rage.

"Well, it's either that or a lot of people here are going to die. He's tracking us and we have no intention of leaving this area until he's dealt with. One way or another, you'll have to decide. Do you fulfill your duty to protect the people or are you going to let him rampage?"

I turned back to the couple behind me, a pleading look on their eyes. "Please don't kill my son, Jake. We can calm him down. He is only trying to take out the ones that did this to him. There has to be a way for him to live!" Jace begged.

"We'll do what we can, but unfortunately we have to protect our people. We'll try to find a way to contain him, but I can't put my tribe in danger." I said, earning nods from both of them. It was the best I could do.

We spent the rest of the night planning. The hybrid was fast and would likely be here by midday at the latest. His nature left us unsure of exactly what we could do with him. As a wolf, he obscured Alice's visions and as a creation of a powerful venom cocktail, he was immune to everyone else's power as well. Basically this was going to turn into a battle of brute strength and I can't say I loved that concept.

I did convince the Jane to allow Tyler and his pack to get a chance to reason with him if the opportunity presented itself. They wanted to catch him off guard, but I reminded her that he had the strengths of both species. He wasn't going to be tricked.

And so we made our way to the meadow that had been the planned site for the war with Victoria. This time we weren't trying to deceive our opponent, however. We didn't have much of a plan other than to attack if necessary. There was no integration between us. The Volturi were to the right while the Cullens – minus Bella who was watching over Renesmee – took the middle. My pack took the left side as we watched Tyler and his wolves in front of all of us. They remained in human form, hoping to talk some reason into him.

Within a few minutes the sound of running filled the air. It wasn't long before a man broke through the trees. I could hear his faint heartbeat as I watched his rag-covered form approach. He was slightly pale, but not in a way that drew attention. He was quite built, obviously an Alpha. He looked to be nearly my size and gave off the aura of power. He seemed in a trance as he walked until Tyler called out to him.

"Son! We need you to stop this. I know they did horrible things to you, and I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. Please don't fight us." The wolf pleaded.

In an instant, Tyler was being hoisted into the air by his neck. I was preparing to charge, but Seth held me back. We had to give them a chance. The two stared into each others' eyes before Tyler spoke again.

"Nahuel, I'm begging you. Please don't let them have a reason to attack you. I love you, son" he whispered, a tear falling and landing on the hybrid's arm.

I heard his heartbeat quicken as he continued to watch his father. For a moment I thought that maybe we had broken through to him.

And then he saw Jane, his entire form tensing at the realization that his captors were here. In what looked as simple as a reflex, he slung his father into a tree that border the clearing and bulldozed his way through his pack, carving a warpath towards the Volturi. Unfortunately this was where we had to take action.

We charged into battle, meeting the wolf as soon as he got to the vampire royalty. Guards piled on top of him before he shuddered and fell to the ground. For a moment I wondered why he had been taken down so easily. It didn't take me long to realize that it wasn't over.

I watched in amazement as Nahuel's form changed. Guards were thrown off of him immediately as a monster of a wolf appeared. He stood over 8 feet tall, muscles rippling over his body. Even my wolf was in awe of his power. He sunk his claws into anything he could reach, tearing through vampires, wolves, and anything else his arms found. I attempted to launch myself at him, only to be grabbed and thrown back into the charging forms of Quil and Embry, all of us yelping in surprise at the impact. I heard Paul cry out as his underbelly was sliced open by the sharp claws, but Jared had been quick to pull him out of the fray. Sam and Jared had succeeded in getting a limb in each of their mouths, only to be shook off with ease and being used as boulders to throw at others. Sam's body awkwardly contorted as he collided with Emmett who did his best to limit the damage. We were pretty much being proven useless against this new foe.

Upon a quick survey, I realized that half of Tyler's pack had been incapacitated and mine was in pretty rough shape. A couple of the Volturi had been dismembered, but I really didn't feel too bad about that, even if we were in some form of temporary truce. The Cullens seemed to be in one piece, though Alice was tending to Jasper on the sidelines. Ultimately, we hadn't scratched this creature and were losing ground quickly.

"Fall back!" I commanded, ordering my pack to retreat to the Cullen manor. It was the only place we had thought of to regroup. My pack immediately followed the instruction and Edward translated it to everyone else.

Our only hope was that Bella would be able to stop this. We knew that she had a shield, but Carlisle had wondered out loud if it was possible for her to manipulate it. By inverting it to block Nahuel's power of immunity, we could possibly make him susceptible to the powers of everyone else. It sounded farfetched to me, but I didn't know much about how these powers actually worked. We hadn't wanted to try it unless we were desperate, but it was becoming clear that we were running out of options. Nahuel had all of our strengths and none of our weaknesses.

Those of us that were left made our way back to the house. A couple of Volturi were keeping him busy for the moment, but it wouldn't be long before he would be on our doorstep. Bella emerged quickly, Renesmee standing right behind her. I was surprised to see just how old she looked. The child that had been born almost a year ago looked to be 8 or 9 years old.

I quickly took a survey of who was left. The only ones to be missing were from the Volturi, who were down to about 20 members in tattered cloaks. Several of Tyler's pack members were out cold and Brady had had to be carried here by Collin because of a broken leg. Sam and Paul were walking gingerly, but were still in one piece. Even if we were all here now, we still had no idea how we were going to survive the next round.

Nahuel's scent filled the air, his wolf form lumbering out from between the trees. I looked up at Bella, watching as she attempted to put her shield around him. Alec was attempting to use his mist to stop Nahuel from approaching. The wolf continued on, however, and my hope was quickly diminishing. Then, the wolf stopped abruptly, staring up in the direction of Bella. His eyes ghosted over and I realized immediately that he was looking at the girl tucked behind her mother's leg. The wolf suddenly collapsed, phasing back to human form as he hit the ground. It was over.

"Quick, kill him!" Jane shouted as Tyler and the capable members of his pack put themselves in front of the immobilized wolf. We quickly joined them, having no intention of letting the Volturi kill what we hoped was no longer a threat.

"That's not necessary, Jane. The wolf has imprinted on one of our coven. He has to be what his imprint wants. He will not harm anyone from this point out."

"He killed our leaders, Carlisle. We have no intention of letting him live." Jane sneered.

"Well we won't stand by your decision" the doctor said, turning away from the Volturi.

"Carlisle, NO!" Edward called as he ran towards them. Confused, we watched as Jane kicked Carlisle's legs out from under him. Alec incapacitated the coven's leader and we all watched in shock as Jane quickly removed his head, never getting the chance to fight back with Bella's shield. In a matter of seconds, Carlisle's life had been ended. I couldn't believe that such a trusting man had been treated so poorly.

"We will _not_ be defied" she growled, throwing Carlisle's head at Edward who had collapsed to his knees. The entire coven was shocked and I was filled with rage as I quickly began my approach on the treacherous leeches. It was time to do what I had planned from the beginning. It was time to end the Volturi.

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_AN: So, what'd you think? It may be slightly wrong to place back to back cliffhanger-esque chapters, but this seemed like the appropriate spot to stop. I wasn't exactly sure who I wanted to make the sacrificial lamb, but Carlisle ended up getting the short end of the stick as the negotiator. As always, I hope to hear from you and look forward to reading what you guys think. The story is coming to a close, with only a chapter or two left at most. Thanks for reading!_


	21. Chapter 21

_AN: Well, ladies and gentlemen, this is it. This will be the final post for "The Broken Alpha," a story that has become the longest work that I've written (and likely ever will write). For those of you who have continued through this story with me, I wish to say thank you. To those of you who took the time to review, I'm extremely grateful for your support. Now, without dragging on any further, let's bring this story to a close._

_Disclaimer: I own nothing._

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**Jake's POV**

Before anyone could think of using their powers, I had already phased and launched myself at the twins. Alec got between me and his sister, using his hands to prevent my gnashing teeth from getting to his throat. He positioned his hands in an attempt to break my jaw, taking advantage of my rage. With Seth's calming influence as he called for me to focus, I latched onto one of the leech's arms, ripping it off before he was able to get a firm grip. His screams of pain were music to my ears before a sudden shockwave of pain caused me to collapse to the ground. It was barely a second before his sister had knocked me away from him, stalking towards me with a deathly glint in her eyes.

Jane's powers didn't last long, however, as the others had quickly joined the fray. Bella was in the background, doing her best to maintain her shield against the various mental powers that the Volturi had left in their arsenal. All around me growls and snarls were sounding as the Cullens and packs began to close ranks around what was left of the falling vampire guard.

Without their leaders, the Volturi were nothing like the organized powerhouse that had ruled for centuries. Alec still hadn't gotten over the fact that I'd ripped off his arm. Edward had intercepted Jane before she reached me, taking her on head-to-head. It was a pretty even match, as Edward wasn't used to being without his mind-reading abilities. Although under calmer circumstances Bella could focus her powers a little more, the utter chaos had forced her to just blanket the area with her shield. Considering what Alec and Jane were capable of, I was willing to accept that sacrifice to avoid finding out what the rest of the guard could do. After Jasper had taken care of some of the others, he joined Edward in his attempt to avenge their father. They quickly overwhelmed Jane and Edward was able to latch onto her head. Without hesitation, he quickly removed it, throwing it to the ground while Jasper continued to dismember the rest of her body. In a quick motion, they had lit a fire, ridding the world of the small demon's body.

I rejoined my pack in taking on as many of the enemy as I could. There weren't that many left, but they were still fighting back. A sickening howl sounded and I looked over to see Quil collapsing, a leech standing on one of his awkwardly bent front legs. Quil phased back to human, blacking out from the pain that we had all glimpsed through the pack mind. Embry and I quickly covered him, taking out any of the nearest leeches before Embry pulled him out of the fray.

I had finally made my way to Seth and we were closing in on Alec to finish the job. He was one of the final ones that I recognized, being considered less of a threat as we chose to focus on others that were still putting up a fight. Just as I moved in to make the kill, Seth let out a whimper, catching my full attention. A bloodsucker that was larger than Emmett had grabbed my pup around the neck, hauling him backwards.

"Everybody stop this, now." The brute growled out. The few remaining leeches assembled around him, creating a barrier between me and my imprint.

"I'm sorry Seth. I can't let them hurt you. I love you." I said through our link before phasing out.

"What are your demands?" I asked dejectedly.

"We want the life of the hybrid we created" he said as he kicked Nahuel's body where it lay, earning growls from Tyler and Jace. "On top of that, we want you to come with us. We need some kind of guard dog as we rebuild our order. Don't worry though. We'll make you _want_ to be with us. If you agree to those conditions, we'll leave here without another word."

I didn't know how to answer the question. I had no interest in being the personal pet of a group of leeches that I had come to despise and definitely didn't want to put Jace & Tyler through the pain of losing their son. But then I looked at Seth. My imprint was still struggling against the leech, but a soft whine erupted as his neck was squeezed tighter. I knew what I had to do.

Before I was able to hand myself over to the Volturi, a ferocious growl erupted from behind the guard. The leech holding Seth wasn't even able to react before a hand was driven through his chest, quickly transforming into a massive claw. He was lifted into the air, only to have his head removed cleanly by Nahuel's monstrous form. The rest of the guard quickly collapsed in on him, but Seth immediately came to the hybrid's defense

I turned towards the stragglers of what had once been a powerful coven, determined to put myself near Seth and not let anything happen to him again. My brothers destroyed the weakened twin while we took care of the tracker and other handful of bodies, allowing no escape. It wasn't long before there were columns of smoke rising from the parts of vampires scattered across the lawn.

I quickly looked over, my breath hitching as I saw Seth pad up to Nahuel's wolf form. I wanted to put a stop to this, but found myself frozen as Seth phased back, holding out a hand to what might be the strongest weapon ever made.

"Hi, I'm Seth. I wanted to thank you for saving me back there" he said with a grin. I don't know how he allowed himself to be so calm, but he was genuinely not afraid of the giant in front of him.

Much to my surprise, Nahuel phased back to human, grasping Seth hand in the process. "Happy to help, little one" he said without malice before turning his eyes up to his imprint. Seth returned to my side, running his hand through my fur to calm my nerves. It was finally over.

Nahuel embraced his parents, both of whom were overwhelmed by their emotions. They had been stripped of watching their child grow up, but he didn't resent them. They still loved him, no matter what he was and begged for him to come back with him. After brief interaction with his imprint, the Cullens agreed to let the pack stay in one of the cabins nearby. None of the family was in a talkative mood, but still remained respectful to the imprint's importance.

We left the family to grieve after sharing our condolences. I was saddened by the loss of the doctor. He had done a lot for me, but I knew that it was nothing like the pain that the coven was feeling. He had been the one to assemble them. Where they'd end up without him, I hadn't a clue.

We carried our wounded back to the reservation, meeting with the tribal doctor to take care of the injuries that Quil and Brady had sustained. He was a distant relative of Brady's and took to the secret well, offering his services whenever we should need them. It was nice to have someone in the tribe to count on, especially after losing the services of our vampire friend.

That night we held a bonfire at Sam's house. We celebrated the fact that our tribe had come back in one piece. Quil still had his arm strapped, but was in good spirits. Brady walked with a slight limp, leaning a little bit on Collin as he went. I could tell my cousin didn't mind the extra closeness at all. Seth and I clung to our daughter, reluctantly allowing Paul to hold her on occasion. After seeing what had happened to Nahuel, I didn't want her out of my sight.

After everyone ate their fill and spent a night of bonding together, we all went back to our respective homes. We cooed Rachel to sleep before turning in ourselves. That night I held Seth protectively, no lust on my mind. He curled perfectly against my chest, bringing us as close together as possible. I had been on the verge of losing him. If it hadn't been for Nahuel, I would have gone to serve those bloodsuckers. Anything would have been better than letting them kill the most important thing in my life.

* * *

Things changed drastically after the Volturi were defeated. Countless vampires came through the area to visit the site of their royalty's defeat. Just because they had a reason to pass through didn't mean we were going to let them go through without fulfilling our mission. We attempted to calm down for the few golden-eyed travelers, but those that fed on humans were still fair game.

It wasn't long before the Cullens drifted apart. Carlisle had obviously been the glue holding everyone together. Esme left first and I never heard where she had gone. I had been told once that vampire mating was quite similar to how we imprint. If so, I had a feeling that I'd never see her again.

Jasper & Alice went down to South America, following a lead on some of Jasper's old friends. Apparently he had saved a number of newborns that he was supposed to kill while in the army and had recently gotten word that some of them might be down there. Emmett & Rose departed shortly thereafter, heading up to Alaska for the time being.

Edward, Bella, and Renesmee didn't go nearly as far as the others. They moved to the border of Tyler's reservation, allowing for Nahuel to stay with his parents and still see his imprint. Tyler & Jace were quick to accept anything that meant that they wouldn't lose their son again, knowing that he'd have to follow the imprint no matter what. I knew that the family would keep in touch, but they'd never be the same after the loss of their patriarch.

While the local coven split apart, the pack grew closer together. Everyone continued to phase, though we all had our own reasons. Several of us had no need to age on a reservation that would cover for us. Considering that Seth & I, Collin & Brady, and Leah & Embry all had the possibility of immortality with our mates, we weren't looking to end that. Paul might have that too if Rachel phased when she was older. On top of that, Quil was imprinted with a toddler that had decades to catch up, Emily valued the importance of Sam being a protector, and Kim was superficial enough to want to always have a fit, youthful Jared doting over her.

The garage continued to grow and with so many of us able to devote our time to it, the older mechanics took on more of an advisory role. They enjoyed being able to talk shop and "put us in our place" when we were stuck trying to figure out mechanical issues we hadn't seen before. Although I still paid the most attention to Sam, the others had quickly learned to follow the elders' advice. Jared and Brady had become great mechanics and Seth had gone to community college for accounting. He ran the books for our place and the construction firm that Embry and Quil had slowly taken control of. The pack was finally getting to enjoy the public rewards for a job well done.

We gained new faces and lost dear ones. Old Quil had been the first to go, finally succumbing to heart failure. We closed ranks around our brother as he went through what he had been mentally preparing himself for throughout the previous months.

Sue's passing had been a much greater surprise to us all. She had been healthy one day and not woken up the next. Embry and I were our respective imprints' rocks during that time. Seth in particular took it hard. Leah was always a bit more composed, but this reopened some old wounds for Seth. Still, I let him cry when he needed to and provided whatever support I could. The funeral had been presided over by Sam, who had taken over a role as elder due to his position in the pack. Embry moved in with Leah after a long discussion with Seth about whether or not to keep the house. Although he knew it'd be hard, he agreed that the memories there were too important to give up in a moment clouded by pain.

Not everything was sad, however. Emily and Leah were the next to get pregnant; both adding male children to what could be the future pack. Collin had all but given up hope before phasing and discovering that our ancestors had blessed him with the ability to carry as well. Seth was there for all of them, just as they'd been there for him. He was their lifeline on what to expect, especially in Collin's case. Their twin boys left Brady constantly coming into the shop with stories that made us all laugh. One had been more than enough for me to deal with.

Seth and I decided against having any type of wedding ceremony. With both of our parents having passed away, we didn't feel the need to put on a show for everyone. We quietly changed our names to represent a piece of both of our heritages, not wanting either side to be forgotten. We made the announcement at a bonfire, but that was all that we needed.

Once Rachel reached the age of four, we decided to try and have another child. Paul had moved out a couple of years ago, building a house about a mile away to give us some space. He still regularly visited, but it was nice to have a home to ourselves. I was more prepared when Seth went into heat, grateful that our wolves had waited until we were ready. Three months later, William Harry Blackwater was born.

All things considered, my life was amazing. Sure, I had the challenging duty of hunting vampires, still felt the occasional sorrow from losing my parents, and had felt some fears that normal people would never understand, but that paled in comparison to the happiness I had achieved. Now I had the most amazing group of friends imaginable, a successful shop that helps employ the pack and benefits the reservation, a soul mate that I have the opportunity to literally spend eternity with, and two precious children that I would do anything for. I may have been lonely, driven by hate, and broken for a while, but I'd do it all again to get where I am now.

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**What can I say, I'm a sucker for a happy ending. Even if I'm a pessimist, the fictional world is a place for escapism, right? Enough about that though. I must say that this will likely be my final multi-chapter fic on here. In all reality, it might be my final post in general. As of now, I don't have any plans to write another story and likely won't have the time to dedicate to a full-fledged piece again. If the idea for a short fic comes to mind, it might get written, but we'll see. Thanks to those of you who've been reading throughout the handful of stories I've written. Your support has been extremely appreciated. I'd like to give a special shout out to rAbiDmutt03, Hank's Lady, ant1gon3, and TurnItUp03. All of you have been excellent friends to have made in this attempt at giving writing a try. Your encouragement and support have meant a lot to me.**

**Who knows, maybe I'll get an idea sometime in the future and decide to write it. You never know what the future may hold.**

**Until next time,**

**-SS11**


	22. Sins of the Father Plug

First of all, sorry to anyone who thought this might be a continuation of this story. I decided that I might as well pub my own fic if I hope to see if there's enough interest to write it. I've posted the Prologue of a story idea, "Sins of the Father." It'll eventually be an Embry/Paul pairing, but the primary focus will be on a prophesied conflict between two brothers. I'm trying to figure out if it's worth writing, so if you enjoyed "The Broken Alpha," I'd love for you to give it a look.

Thanks,

-SS11


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